Steps proposed to avert shortfallof $1.3 millionBy Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
LANDIS ó In a brief meeting, the town board hit the highlights of its upcoming budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The budget is balanced, but it didn’t come without thousands of dollars in cuts.
“The budget is slim. There’s not much room to play with,” said town Administrator Reed Linn.
The board met Monday to look over the recommended cuts. Before the cuts, the town faced a $1.3 million shortfall.
No tax increase was established, and no employees received any pay increases.
In fact, the budget recommends creating employee furlough days, which would save $72,000. The unpaid days off would equal one day a month for 12 months.
The board made no final decisions on the budget. Aldermen reviewed it and briefly discussed some of the recommendations.
Linn said this year’s budget is still more than last year’s because of the light fund, which is a proposed $394,000 greater due to an increase in wholesale power rates; a chipper machine; one new vehicle; and the transfer of $220,000 to the general fund to balance the budget. Also, the electric rate was increased by 5 percent to cover the cost of the wholesale power increase.
The staff proposed moving $40,000 for a chipper machine from the Street Department to the light fund, which increased its budget.
One of the hardest hit departments was the Landis Police Department, which came in over budget from last year by $79,353.
This amount was reduced by $10,000 during a first round of cuts and then the staff cut an additional $167,217, which eliminated all new positions and vehicles.
Police Chief Brian McCoy said he’d originally asked for three new vehicles and three new officers.
One vehicle will be replaced and a new one bought. The department is replacing a vehicle that was totaled when an officer had an accident while responding to help another officer.
Alderman James Furr said he didn’t want the town to get stuck in the position it faced a few years ago when the department needed multiple cars replaced at the same time.
The water fund came in under the previous budget by $39,893, but there was a 5 percent increase in water rates from Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, which the town projected and absorbed. There were no increases in rates or fees.
Linn said if Salisbury goes up more than the percentage the town estimated, then Landis officials would have to revisit the budget.
The town gets part of its water from Salisbury and Kannapolis.
Linn said Kannapolis has not increased its rates.
The Recreation Department was $66,987 over the previous budget year due to a capital expense request.
Director Julie Noblitt has proposed improving some of the town’s facilities and initiating some new programs.
She submitted a master plan at the board’s monthly meeting on May 4. The board will look through the proposal and decide what can be done and how it will be paid.
The staff cut $30,000 in the first round of cuts to the recreation department; however, it is still high.
No increase in sewer rates was established. Like many other departments, this one, too, received a substantial cut of $211,000. The meter fee was increased to $11 per month.
The Fire Department came in over budget by $82,468 because of a federal SAFER grant for two firefighters and the transfer of one position from the Sanitation Department to the Fire Department. The fire budget was reduced by $51,298 and an additional $13,705 for part-time salaries and capital equipment.
The Sanitation Department came in under budget by $45,244 because of the transfer and because the town paid off the money owed for a lease on a garbage truck.
No additional cuts were made.
The storm water fund was the only one that was balanced as submitted, with no increases and no rate increases.
The board will meet for a second budget session Monday at 6:30 p.m.