Holbrook Council approves tentative $10.3 million budget

Before the budget discussion began JoLynn Fox with the Navajo County Historical Society gave an update on the historic courthouse roof project, saying the society has pulled together $40,000 to put toward the project. Hopes are still high that a $35,000 grant will come through. “We want our entities to be aware of our commitment and we appreciate your continued support,” said Fox. The estimate cost for the roof project is $175,000.

Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Director Cindy Tafoya and chamber member Colleen Marsh presented a request for funding increases which included funding for Wild West Days, an increase in the salary for Tafoya from $14 to $16 an hour for 20 hours a week and funding for the Summer Cultural Dancers that are performed at Gillespie Park each year. “It is the fourth generation of these dancers,” said Marsh, “and they are an intricate part of our city. They draw people to our area.”

Navajo County Fair Board President Mike Sample and Events Director Jme Baloo gave a brief overview of the 2017 Navajo County Fair. Sample said it was the 87th year for the fair and it is still the biggest event in the community.

Sample noted that last year 28,000 people attended the fair, with 400 exhibitors providing more than 2,400 entries. The rodeo had more than 500 contestants, with the Little Buckaroo Rodeo claiming 85 contestants. The barrel racers had 50 contestants, the demolition derby had 15 drivers and the Junior Miss Pageant had 15 contestants.

Following those presentations, Finance Director Randy Sullivan presented the budget saying, “Overall, revenues are up. What I am asking tonight is that the tentative budget of $10,290,176 be approved, which means changes can be made within the budget as long as we do not go over that amount.” The new budget is a total increase of $401,282 over the prior year budget. No salary or cost of living increases were added into the tentative proposal.

Sullivan noted that the biggest change in the budget was the addition of money to cover the salary of the new city manager and the new code enforcement officer, increasing administration costs by $140,000 and code enforcement by $8,300.

The Parks and Recreation Department saw a decrease of $62,000 as two of the four full-time employees left and Sullivan said there are no plans to replace them as it seems more cost effective to hire temporary summer employees to help with parks and recreation.

Sullivan noted that the legal bill for the upcoming water adjudication trial has the potential to reach $80,000 in the coming year. He said that the $1 fee attached to the water bill would only cover approximately $20,000 with the remainder to come from the water fund, which justified the $57,000 increase in the water and sewer funds.

The Animal Control Department funds will be increased by $27,000 to allow for the transition of retiring Animal Control Officer Merrill Young and hiring a replacement. Sullivan said, “This budget allows us to advertise in September and bring someone on board in October, who can train with Young before he leaves in December.”

The Police Department saw a decrease of $14,000. Sullivan noted that the thing that hurts the budget the most is the Public Safety Retirement Fund. “This year it is projected to go a 99 percent match,” said Sullivan. “If we hire any laterals or officers who have experience from 2012 or prior, they will come in as a Tier One or Tier Two, requiring that we do a 99 percent match. This last year, the state legislature created the Tier Three budget, which is a 50-50 match. Because we have been shorthanded, a lot of the officers we have had are Tier Three. This budget will allow us to hire three laterals and three newbies, which would be the Tier Three.”

Two main concerns voiced by the council members was the budgeting for the maintenance and repair of the airport lounge, and the increase requested by the chamber.

Councilman Tim Dixon provided pictures of the airport lounge showing, among other things, the wind damage to the main door, a toilet that was taped off, a heater that was not working and a hot water heater that was not up to code. “To me, the whole lounge area is not inviting. The running lights are still out and while the fuel station is nice, the dust is causing problems with the card reader.”

Dixon requested that the $8,500 taken from the 2016-17 budget be put back into this budget to help with fixing the lounge.

Councilwoman Francie Payne said, “The lounge looks better than it did three years ago. But let’s get the furnace and bathroom fixed and take care of the things that are safety concerns and property maintenance.”

There was some discussion over the Lodger’s Tax, which is projected to increase by $65,000 to a total of $185,000 this year. Payne maintained that the city should continue giving the fair board and Historical Society $40,000 each and increase the chamber of commerce to $40,000.

Councilman Richard Peterson voiced his concerns that the chamber needed to create their own money from the local businesses and events, and not use the taxpayers’ money. In the end, the council voted unanimously to give the chamber $40,000 in the upcoming budget. A revised budget with requests noted by the council will be brought back as the final budget for approval.