2015 budget: A look at public works and police
Whitefish City Councilors reviewed budget documents for the police department and public works at a June 9 work session. The meeting marked the second review of the city’s $41 million preliminary budget for fiscal year 2015.
The overall budget shows an increase in spending of about $4.8 million. However, no increase in taxes is anticipated.
Most of the increased spending is the result of spending down year-end cash balances for one-time expenditures, according to City Manager Chuck Stearns. This includes spending for infrastructure improvements and equipment purchases. The city projects a decrease in the year-end cash balance to 9.7 percent from last year’s 11.5 percent.
Council on Monday unanimously approved the preliminary budget. A final public hearing is slated for Aug. 18.
Public works
The public works department budget includes a number of planned projects around the city for fiscal year 2015.
In the commercial light district fund, the beginning cash balance for the fiscal year is expected to be $25,000, while the ending balance is anticipated to be about $1,700.
Public works director John Wilson said the city now has between 600-700 decorative street lights that it maintains.
“They’re a great amenity, but they take a lot of maintenance,” he said. “We may have to come back with a proposal to increase the assessment in the commercial district.”
In the street fund, planned improvement projects total $475,000.
The largest of those projects is an estimated $200,000 to repair the Central Avenue slump at the south end of the street where it curves into East Sixth Street. The city is waiting for an engineering report to determine how it will deal with the issue. Wilson said the area has been repaired at least three times.
Paving a section of Central Avenue also is on the improvements list. The city plans to replace a cast iron water main from Third Street to south of Fifth Street and then replace the street. The entire replacement, including the street pavement, is expected to cost $330,000.
The street budget includes spending $400,000 in chipseals pavement treatments that were delayed from last year’s budget. The amount combines two years worth of projects.
The water fund budget anticipates $1.5 million in improvement projects. Among those is $200,000 to repair the water main running under the Columbia Avenue bridge, work on the Central Avenue water main and water main improvements on Highway 93 West.
The wastewater fund shows about $2.3 million in improvement projects across the city. Upgrades to the Birch Point lift station is expected to cost $290,000.
The city’s impact fees will pay for a portion of the water and wastewater improvements. The impact fees are one-time charges for new development that increases the demand for city services. It applies to new units in subdivisions as well as new homes built on single lots and some remodeling.
This fiscal year, $296,650 in impact fees will be used for water improvements, and $584,500 in impact fees will go toward wastewater improvement projects.
Construction on Highway 93 West last year and this year has had a large impact on the cash availability for the city’s water and wastewater projects. The city is budgeting $1.3 million to pay for sewer main improvements in that area, and $659,000 for water main improvements this fiscal year.
“We had to do it because the state was going to put a 20-year road surface over that and they said we weren’t going to be able to get back in there,” City Manager Chuck Stearns said. “We had to go in and replace and extend water and sewer lines farther west while increasing the capacity. It was important to do it, but financially it wasn’t the greatest time.”
Spending cash reserves on the Highway 93 project is expected to have an impact on the city’s ability to pay for required upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant.
Wilson said the city will have to upgrade its plant to meet new state standards. He anticipates major expenses from the project within about five years. The cost of a new plant could be $15 million, he noted.
“I expect to come to you in the fall with conceptual projections of costs,” Wilson said. “I hope to come to you before the end of the year with a proposal to have a multi-year rate increase.”
Police department
The police department will have some additional costs in the personnel category this year.
A new police officer position is included in the budget for a school resource officer. The position is being funded entirely by a federal grant with matching contribution provided by the Whitefish School District. The salary and benefits for the officer is listed at $60,700.
The police department also will share the costs of adding a human resource director position to the city.
The budget includes the purchase of a new fully equipped police car at a cost of $31,800.
Police Chief Bill Dial said the department tries to replace one vehicle per year. Patrol cars average 75,000 miles annually.
“We actually keep our maintenance costs down by purchasing new vehicles,” he said.
About $200,000 in revenue in the police department budget comes from grants.
The department received a grant to purchase a live scan fingerprint system at a cost of $26,000. Dial said the system allows officers to scan fingerprints and send it directly to the FBI.
A Montana Department of Transportation grant of up to $40,000 is expected to pay for a wireless video system for the patrol cars. Dial said the system will save officers time because they will no longer have to manually download videos.