After months of discussion, the Rushford Village Council nailed down the 2024 budget and levy. Despite the unanimous vote, some on the council felt the village would fall short, while others expressed concern it was too high. The final levy is $535,000. The levy represents a 7% increase over 2023. City Clerk Mary Miner expects $688,671 in expenses and $629,178 in disbursements, leaving a projected cushion of $59,493.
Staff removed several items from the budget, including public works equipment. Councilor Mike Ebner expressed concern that the cost of the truck and equipment is rising approximately 20% a year.
The budget also includes nothing for road improvements or maintenance, which concerns some. The council has previously discussed the village’s road conditions and an attempt to catch up to the point of a regular maintenance schedule. Mayor Dennis Overland did note there is $52,000 in Certificates of Deposit (CD) for roads if needed.
“I continue to be concerned that we don’t have money aside for road improvement,” stressed Councilor Bob Hart. “It could have been a misunderstanding on my part that annually we’d set aside money. Did we do it to make the budget look good? If we end up with $50,000 at the end of the year, what do we do with that? Can that go into a CD for the roads or something else likewise? I like the budget at 7%. Initially, I wanted it at 10% We’ve come down from that, which is good, but we’re spending CD money.”
“I think we’ll have a better idea come June. We’ll see how the first six months go, if we’ve tightened our belt a little and it’s paying off or how things look,” said Overland.
“I see why you want that 7%, but I’m trying to be conservative, too,” added Councilor Travis Link. “If we live within the budget, we can do things with the cushion.”
“I’m not a fan of raising it, but my issue is we keep putting stuff on the back burner,” noted Councilor Mike Ebner. “Every time we do, it’s costing us another 15-20% a year down the road. That costs us money, too. Raising taxes affects all of us. It’s a big step, but I don’t want to be sitting here next year saying we need to be at 10%.
“At the same time, we have a budget and we have to learn to live within, too,” cautioned Councilor Rick Ruberg. “With less levy, we can save now, but we’ll hurt ourselves down the road. Build a cushion to pay for some of this other stuff.”
In other news, work on the public works maintenance shed continues. Work is wrapping up for this year, and the council is looking ahead to next year. The budget for 2024 includes $20,000 for it. Projected work includes blown-in insulation, steel and equipment rental for the insulation. Insulation and accessories are $8,532, steel walls and ceiling are $6,391 and rentals should bring the total cost to $15,000-16,000. The estimated cost of electrical is $13,000.
There may be some unexpected savings, though. The prices the council is working from were a June bid. Prices for construction materials have dropped considerably. Ruberg estimated insulation alone could net the city $1,820 in savings.
If the council does nothing, they risk the concrete floor and drains cracking if water gets into the pipes. The council opted unanimously to move forward with insulation and steel, working within a maximum budget of $20,000.
Another public works approval came with the decision to put a light at the pole near the intersection of Plummer Street and Main Street in South Rushford. Adding a light will cost just $10. Had the city chosen to put a pole and light directly at the intersection, the cost would have been $1,350.
“It really gets the best of both worlds with the parking lot and the intersection,” said Public Works Supervisor Trenten Chiglo. The light will also provide light to the south Rushford Park parking lot.
Chiglo also noted that work on County Line Road will finish with 3-4 loads for rip rap, roughly $2,000 of material at maximum. The material will end the installation to repair work on the rural road.
The council also reviewed the final employee Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and possible step/grade wage increases for village employees for 2024.
Hart referenced several increases implemented for employees during the last year and a half and indicated the personnel committee is on board with a COLA increase but no other increases at this time.
The difference paid to employees over that time, according to Ruberg, through numbers obtained through Miner, is roughly $40,000. “That’s quite a jump on wages,” he noted.
Overland agreed with Hart. “I do think our employees do deserve a cost of living increase, but we were pretty generous the last year and a half. I think people need to realize that,” he said.
The final adopted amount is a 3% COLA increase.
Along with this, the council approved the adoption of the Sick and Saved Time (SST) Policy. With recommendations from consultant Paul Ness, the policy will amount to the same Personal Time Off that was in the newly approved employee guide. The new state law providing SST will kick in on January 1.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, January 16, at 7 p.m. at the village hall. The public is encouraged to attend. Please note there is only one meeting in January.
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