Melodie Phelps, News Editor
Monticello — Monticello City Council wants to wait and see how the recession affects
them in the next fiscal year before committing more money to city street
resurfacing projects. During a meeting held on Monday, the council decided
not to cash in a $92,000 CD it has in the bank to up the total in the
blacktop budget for next year.
Mayor Kenneth Catron recommended that the CD be cashed in and added to
the $70,000 budgeted for blacktop projects, as well as an additional $17,000
in funds that remain in Phase I of the downtown sewer and water project.
"We could spend that and 10 times as much in the West Monticello
Subdi-vision and not do everything we need to do," said Catron. "Our streets
are in terrible, terrible shape."
He noted that the state will resurface North Main and South Main from
intersection to intersection. Catron presented the council with a list of
streets that need resurfacing, as well as photographs, as he proposed
cashing in the CD.
"This still wouldn't put us in halfway decent shape, but it would be a
step in the right direction," said Catron.
Councilman Jeffrey Edwards suggested the council hold off on cashing the
CD since the city is facing a budget deficit in the current fiscal year and
in the next fiscal year. He would like to see the council wait until spring
and see what the budget looks like at that point before making any
decisions.
Edwards suggested the city take the current blacktop budget and the
additional $17,000 and see how far it goes right now.
Councilman Paul Bates made a motion to go ahead and cash in the $92,000
CD and do the blacktop work, but it died for the lack of a second.
Also during Monday's meeting, the council approved the second reading of
the budget for fiscal year 2010, which includes no wage increases for city
employees.
While wages won't increase, many other expenses in the budget will,
including a 5 percent increase in insurance, a 10 percent increase in fuel,
a 10 percent increase in utilities, and significant increases in hazardous
duty retirement, as well as regular retirement. City Clerk-Treasurer Greg
Latham noted that to maintain the same level of services for next year, the
2010 fiscal year budget will have a shortfall of $155,427.
The city appears at this point to have sufficient available fund
balances to cover the 2010 budget shortfall, as well as the projected
$153,000 shortfall in the current year's budget. The main reason cited for
this year's shortfall is a decrease of $110,000 in the insurance premium
tax.
In other action during the meeting, the council:
€ Approved the second reading of an ordinance amending the current
fiscal year's budget.
€ Heard the first reading of a Floodplain Management ordinance.
€ Heard the first reading of the 2009 Revenue Bond ordinance, which is
related to Phase II of the downtown project.
€ Declared three police cars, three submachine guns, five bicycles and
five computer monitors as surplus property, so they can be sold.
€ Recognized police officers Joe Bybee and Allen Braden with Meritorious
Service Awards.
