By Linda Kor The Snowflake Town Council met last week and approved a tentative budget of $11 million for the next fiscal year. It was noted that public hearings will be scheduled for the budget. With the approval of the tentative budget, the amount may be reduced but not increased. Town Manager Brian Richards noted, “State shared revenues are about 90 percent of our general fund. On the budget itself, we’re not going to collect this, not $11 million, but we’re not going to spend that either.” When asked if the stimulus funds that will be received as part of Gov. Doug Ducey’s allocations to cities and town are a part of this budget Richards stated that it wasn’t. “We’re going to get it probably in this fiscal year, but there’s nothing I have earmarked.” When asked by council if this could be used towards anything, he stated that it could. The amount allocated to the town from the Governor’s Office totals $688,265, which can go into the general fund or wherever the town chooses. The council also approved road improvements for East Second Street South and Cooper Lane. Resident Billy Elkins addressed the council and stated that since 1997, when he built a home on that street, he had been told it would be paved. “We’ve graveled it, paid for it out of pocket and 98 percent of the time we bring our own equipment in and grade it. We’re kind of like the forgotten street in Snowflake. We certainly appreciate the paving and hopefully it will all go through.” Mayor Lynn Johnson recused himself from the discussion and voting. The award for the material bid for Centennial Blvd. Water Line Project was awarded to Dana Kepner as the lowest bidder at $44,496. Other quotes came from Core & Main $44,664 and Canyon Pipe in the amount of $52,292. Work done near Northern Solution located in Snowflake work is being done for a basin, a flood channel that’s done and fencing is being put up. This work was completed with a $300,000 federal grant award. Town crews have completed the work. The town’s funding match was $106,000 but according to Richards, “We use our own employees and our own equipment and we receive reimbursement for the equipment we use through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), Navajo County gave us $50,000 from the flood control district. So, that’s almost done.” He noted that another $400,000 FEMA flood grant has been received for the area around fire department and schools. The town’s contribution is $140,000, but the county will provide $60,000 and the town will use its crews as part of its match for in-kind services. That will start in July and is hoped to be done by winter. The mile and a half overlay on Snowflake Blvd. is complete. This work went from Adair Road to the town line. The town also received $480,000 in federal funds and added $225,000 of the town’s money to complete the project. Richards also informed the council that the town put up $50,000 for design of the sidewalk project at Snowflake Junior High but that plan has been canceled. “It was going to go from Taylor to the Junior High but it was cancelled. ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) has taken it off of their five-year plan. They made it too expensive, just the street lighting was 239 pages just for the specifications for it.” Richards noted that he asked if the town could receive some of those funds to do the project and was waiting to hear a reply. Other work includes Highway 277 and Frontier Drive. “This is an ESP grant. There are some businesses that are potentially going in there. I don’t know how that’s going to work because all the movie theaters are shut down and basically this was movie theater complex.” He added that this was a one-year plan and he was unsure if the project would proceed. Another project is the Snowflake Blvd. drainage project, which he hopes to receive a FEMA award for. The plan is to put a culvert where the ditch is up to Allison’s Road. A Community Development Block Grant application has been submitted, and since it is the town’s turn in the grant rotation cycle it should be awarded, for ribbon curb and asphalt on town roads. There is three years in which those funds have to be used. Richards is waiting on an application submitted for a competitive grant for a Centennial Blvd. force main sewer line that would go along the water line that would reach all the properties that are currently on septic. In other business, the council gave final approval for a rezoning from Agricultural 5 Acre (AG) to Residential 10,000 (R-10) zoning for property that is approximately .59 acre in size and is located at 381 S. First E. St., Parcel No. 202-13-058C in Snowflake. Approved a rezoning for two separate properties from Residential 2 Acre (R2A) to Residential 1 Acre (R-1A). These properties are each approximately 3.32 acres in size and are located at 637 N. Apple Blossom Lane, Parcel Nos. 202-36019C&D in Snowflake.
