Town Of Paonia 2016 Draft Budget Eliminates Employees – No New Police Chief – Water/Sewer/Trash Fees to Rise Significantly

Town Of Paonia 2016 Draft Budget Eliminates Employees – No New Police Chief

Water/Sewer/Trash Fees to Rise Significantly

By Thomas Wills

The draft 2016 budget presented to the Trustees prior to their October 27 meeting continues to strive for austerity by eliminating two public works laborer positions and deferring the hiring of a new Police Chief for another year. The draft also recommends that the Town hire a public works employee rated to qualify to operate the water plant. In 2017 it is suggested that another full time public works employee be hired with a similar rating in wastewater operations.  It is also recommended that the Town promote an existing police officer to “sergeant” to be the supervisory officer, something that Officer Neil Ferguson has been doing for the past months since the resignation of Chief Scott Leon.

The budget document opens with a letter from Town Manager/Administrator, Jane Berry, that states that the proposed budget show a positive direction for all on the Town’s cash funds.  Besides the employee cutbacks/ deferral, the opening letter states that there are recommended “significant” fee increases for all three enterprise funds, water, sewer and trash.

The General Fund balance is expected to begin with a $3,482 reserve carryover surplus for 2016 after having a $16,653 deficit at the end of 2015. General Fund revenues of $651,637 are balanced against $651,180.51.  Pretty snug.

Items funded from the Capital Projects Fund are recommended to include:  park improvements, water and sewer projects, a possible new pickup truck, one new skidsteer to replace two old ones, and an amount to be determined for the Town share of the Region 10 broadband project. This could be as low as $25,000.

The Sewer Fund has been drawing from reserves and a fee increase will be needed for 2016, the first in ten years. The Water Fund has the same problem and it is recommended that residential water base rate fees increase from $21 to $27 and base commercial water rates go from $27 to $54, a doubling of that rate. There will also be an increase in the per-thousand gallons used rate.  Out-of-town water companies will be charged a new $100 monthly administrative service fee.

Trash rates are recommended to increase by $3.00 per account in each category. It is also suggested that during 2016 the Town examine the viability of the trash enterprise to determine if the Town should not follow the lead of other communities like Hotchkiss and contract the service out to a private hauler.

Then there is the Grants Fund that doles out the grant money from the DOLA grant to help with the first three years. 2016 will be the final year of the grant with it paying about 25% of the total salary package for Berry. The Grant Fund shows a 2016 payment of $25,629.78.