OCR Text |
Show -i : Some Increases 1 1 BtfL Eyes Bmdlget By GARY R. BLODGETT News Editor BOUNTIFUL -- Highlights of the proposed 1983-84 Bountiful budget were reviewed by the City Council last Wednesday night -- but action , iH be postponed for further study and a public 1 hearing set for May 25. THE PROPOSED budget of approximately s'8,756,000 will result in no increase to property proper-ty taxes, but there will be slight increases in the garbage, sewer and power rates, according to City Manager Tom Hardy. The city mill levy will remain at 10.37 mills, he told the council. I 1 INCREASES are proposed as follows: A 25 cents per month increase in the garbage fee. Most of this increase will be used to build UP a capital improvements fund to purchase new garbage trucks in a couple of years. A 25 CENTS per month increase in the sewer fee. Most of this increase will be used to purch-ase purch-ase a television camera truck to "look into" Underground sewer lines to locate potential Problems and to make it easier and more cost-J efficient to repair broken lines and other sewer line problems. A 15 to 18 percent increase in the city's electrical power rates is proposed for the first of August. Families with average power bills of $30 will be increased by $4 to $5 per month. "COSTS TO the city to purchase blocks of power have increased substantially in recent years, as much as 10 percent in one year, or 30 percent in the past three years," said Mr. Hardy. "Yet, the city has not had a power rate increase in-crease for three years so the annua increase would be only five to six percent per year and will leave Bountiful residents paying 40 percent per-cent less than current Utah Power and Light rates." MAJOR EXPENDITURES projected for next fiscal year include 52. 5 million for purchase purch-ase of hydro-electric pow er; $200,000 for a new ambulance and fire equipment; S200.000 for a water treatment plant up Mill Creek Canyon; employee salary adjustments of 4.6 percent; and $500,000 for repairs. However, there will be no net increase in city personnel. The city plans to hire an additional addi-tional police dispatcher, but will lose a (city hall) telephone operator, Mr. Hardy explained. ex-plained. "WE HAVE taken a look at not only the next fiscal year's proposed budget, but we are looking look-ing three years into the future regarding administrative admi-nistrative costs and five years into the future for projected capital improvements." said Mr. Hardy. "I'm sure that we will see increased expenditures expend-itures in all city departments during this long-term long-term projection, meaning an increase in taxes and other fees." MR. HARDY emphasized that the council will be holding work sessions May 4 and May 1 1 , and the public is invited. The required public pub-lic hearing will be held May 25 at 7:30 p.m. "Figures projected this evening are very tentative and subject to change." he said. "We want public input and a lot of council study w ill go into the budget before final approval." HE SAID THE city is looking to a slowly improving economy and the 1983-84 budget "will be tight but will enable the city to continue con-tinue offering quality services with no increase in taxes and only slight increases in service fees." |