The Town of Snowflake held its regular monthly council meeting on July 3. Among the agenda items was the tentative budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The budget total comes in at just over $10 million. That is an increase of over $900,000 from the previous year.
The council met in a work session prior to the meeting to go over the budget in detail. The budget includes approximately $10 million in estimated revenues other than property taxes, including items such as an estimated $1.5 million in city sales tax, $573,000 in state shared sales tax, nearly $700,000 in state shared income tax, $1 million in grant monies, and approximately $386,000 in vehicle license tax funds. Mayor Lynn Johnson said, “We had the opportunity in work session to review that. I don’t believe we have any discussion.”
The estimated expenditures for 2019 include $2.1 million for police services, $484,000 for fire services, $1.2 million for community development and $960,000 in contingency monies. Estimated expenditures from the special revenue fund include $1.4 million for streets. Expenditures from enterprise funds include $1.5 million for water and sewer and $800,000 for the golf course.
The council voted to approve the tentative budget and the town will prepare and publish schedule A of the Auditor General’s forms in the newspaper prior to the public hearing at the next regular monthly council meeting.
In other business, the council:
* Recognized Snowflake Taylor Police Department Officer Lieutenant Robert Martin on his graduation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy.
* Recognized town employee Don Camacho for 39 years of service as the director of Recreation and Parks. Camacho recently retired.
* Heard a presentation by Navajo County officials relating concerns over an estimated future loss of $1.6 million in tax revenues when the Navajo Generating Station, Kayenta Mine and Cholla Power Plant close. The county is being proactive in notifying local towns and cities of possible job and budget cuts in the future due to the loss in tax revenues.
* Approved an agreement with Navajo County for the paving of Rodeo Road. The county has agreed to reimburse the town for 4,000 feet of paving on Rodeo Road and to obtain the financial assistance an IGA is required.
The next regular monthly council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7, in the council room, located at 81 W. First S. in Snowflake. At that meeting the final budget will be presented for approval and a public hearing will be held as an opportunity for the community to offer input on the budget.
