First reading of town’s proposed budget passes

The Basin Town Council reviewed the proposed budget during the May 9 regular meeting. It was presented to them by Town CPA Don Russell. The first reading passed.
As presented, the town needs to transfer $244,128 from the capital project fund to the general fund. The town’s income service fund is about $60,000 short. A transfer will be made from the enterprise fund.
“The other big change in this is in the sewer fund,” said Russell.
“We noticed in our loan agreement we have to put $40,000-$50,000 a year into a replacement fund. We have not been putting that money in.”
During the budget discussion, the council decided to cap the town hall parking lot project at $40,000 versus the proposed $105,000. Mayor CJ Duncan explained that the parking lot was needed for a few reasons. One of those reasons was the integrity of the building, due in part to rain and raw water pooling at the corner of the building. The other reason was to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
Duncan repeated a phrase stated earlier by Russell: “Basic economics. Either you decrease services, or you charge more.”
Councilman Stuart DesRosier pointed out that the proposed 2.5% rate increase for electric “isn’t really cutting it.” The last rate increase for electrical took place in 2017. He added that there is still a lot more work to do on the budget before it is final.
Councilman Chuck Hopkin asked for numbers for electrical increases from 3-5% before the next reading of the budget so the council can consider them.
Copies of the budget are available at the Town Hall. Also available are the proposed increases for raw water, mosquito control, drinking water and electric.
SEWER PROJECT
During the meeting Duncan asked Town Engineering Jesse Frisbee about the town’s sewer project. “Have you heard anything from AVI?”
Frisbee reported that he had reached out and spoke to Bruce Perryman. He was told Bruce was concerned with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) position on the project. “It sounds like we end up having to get a little more data. Like a regular SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to actually figure out if the flow data is accurate.”
He continued that this was what James Brough from Wyoming DEQ was concerned about, though Brough is no longer in his position. However, Brough had expressed that a brand-new facility for the sewer might not be the best option. Frisbee said Brough told him, “It might be better for the town of Basin to start fixing more lines. So, now Bruce wants to get approval from DEQ prior before carrying on. That’s where we are at.”
Frisbee is in the process of trying to set up a meeting with the new DEQ engineer.
Duncan expressed his frustration, as this would put the project out another four years. He discussed with the consultant and wants a meeting. “I want this figured out. I’m tired of the ‘he said, he said, we think this.’ I’m done. I want this done. I want a plan in place by the first meeting in June, so we know where we are going before the new budget year.”
ELECTRICAL RATE STUDY
Duncan also shared information from a cost study completed by MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska). There was no rate increase in 2023. They had projected a 2.4% increase for every year moving forward through 2027. MEAN suggests that for the town to maintain a healthy electrical department, it should increase its rates as noted by the study.
The mayor mentioned there had been a discussion at the council meeting last month about what percent the rates should be raised. “I think we need to remember that the electrical service now currently is way better than it has been in years past. The streetlights work like they are supposed to. Our houses are being fed better and better all the time. We still have issues, but we are working on them.”
He added there have been no fires and no outages this spring.
The improvements to the department show the importance the council put on the electrical crew to provide a better standard for residents. “Truly the electrical department is the cash cow in years past for us. It has generated a lot of money that supports the internal service fund.”
Councilman Carl Olson noted that because the town is upgrading, more money is being spent. “The cash cow has now become a pass through where we are spending money to upgrade,” he said.
Councilmen Stuart DesRosier, Brent Godfrey and Chuck Hopkin all expressed their agreement about how much the electrical has improved in the town.
LOAD LIMITS ON
RESIDENTIAL STREETS
Frisbee discussed the weight load on the streets. His recommendation for all residential streets is a 10-ton weight limit.
“I would leave it open for an occasional vehicle that has to do some loading or unloading, emergency vehicles, town vehicles. For an example, the garbage truck weights I believe close to 25,000 (empty).”
He also gave an update on the HVAC system at town hall. The owner of the company that installed it is now involved.
OTHER BUSINESS
• Building/demolition permits for Koehn, Blanc and Segraves were reviewed.
• Tigner noted that the PD is reminding people about having proper licenses for dogs, cats and chickens. Sixty delinquent notices were sent out.
• Duncan gave a rec department committee report. Summer activities are planned. Hopkin noted that the curtain in the gym must be fire treated, per the state fire marshal.
• Duncan also reported on the activities committee. The town clean-up had just happened, and the number of volunteers was down, as was the tonnage. He felt this was a sign that since the event started, people have been taking advantage to get things cleaned up.
• An executive session was called to discuss personnel.
• A utility pole assessment was given by Bill Dahlke.