Taxes to remain the same

Thursday, May 8, 2008 May 07, 2008 01:40 pm

— Albemarle City Manager Raymond Allen presented the proposed FY 2008-2009 Budget for the city of Albemarle to council members at their meeting Monday night. A public hearing was scheduled for May 19 to discuss the proposed budget.
No property tax hike has been recommended, and for the fifth consecutive year, the property tax rate is recommended to remain at $.56.
The proposed General Fund budget is $13,291,450, with more than 50 percent of the proposed budget allocated for the city’s police and fire departments. The combined budgets of the two departments are $6.7 million and exceed the amount of property taxes anticipated in FY 08-09 by just over $1 million.
The proposed budget contains no new personnel, but maintains all current service levels. The budget includes funds to cover increased costs in gasoline and diesel fuel, adequate employee compensation, and increased costs in insurance. The budget also includes $277,500 for the resurfacing of local streets.
The proposed budget recommends an increase of $2.20 per month in the residential solid waste collection fee. This fee will still only recover approximately 40 percent of the cost of providing these services, which is approximately $13.50 per household per month. The budget recommends that there be no increase in the monthly solid waste disposal fee. There are also no proposed increases in business license fees or parks and recreation program fees.
The Water and Sewer Bud-get is proposed at $6,998,250 and has no increase in the minimum charge, and it recommends that the minimum allocation be increased from 200 cubic feet to 300 cubic feet. This means that users who actively conserve may see their water bills stay the same or slightly decrease. The proposed budget recommends a 5 percent adjustment in water and sewer rates above the minimum usage. The budget recommends no increase in water and sewer tap fees or assessment charges, for the 11th straight year. The primary focus of the Water and Sewer budget is to replace aging sewer lines to reduce inflow and infiltration and to renovate components at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which was expanded in the 1970s.
The proposed Electric Fund budget is $28,622,100. It includes a 1.4 percent electric rate adjustment on Oct. 1 to offset a wholesale rate increase the city will receive on July 1. The Electric Fund budget contains funding for reconductoring, pole replacement, and tree trimming to enhance system reliability.
The Solid Waste Disposal budget is proposed at $2,045,000. This budget proposes a $2 per ton increase for municipal solid waste and a $5 per ton increase for construction and demolition waste. These fee increases are to offset increased operating costs such as diesel fuel and debt service cost for the landfill expansion which is currently under way.
The proposed budget will be available for public inspection at the Stanly County Public Library in downtown Albe-marle, and at the City Hall Annex. A public hearing will be held on the proposed budget prior to adoption, at which the public is invited to offer written or oral comments.