Town of Woodbury Reviews Budget For Coming Year

The Town of Woodbury’s property owners and water customers will go another year without a tax increase following this week’s meeting of the Woodbury Board of Mayor and Alderman. Members unanimously passed, on first reading, the Town’s fiscal year 2008-2009 operation budget. The budget calls for the same tax rate as 2007-2008’s budget and increases expenditures. Some of the highlights of the budget include:

An average .50 cent per hour pay raise for Town employees;

An increase in fuel costs for the various departments;

An increase in utility costs for the Town’s buildings;

An increase in the cost of copper and chemicals for the Water department;

550 drive-by meters for the Bradyville area;

An increase in insurance rates;

The bulk of the budget’s increase was in the area of utilities and materials. Rising fuel costs and a dramatic increase in the costs of materials needed at the water treatment plant led members to question whether a water rate increase might be in the near future for their water customers in the Utility District. Currently, customers pay some of the lowest water rates in the State, and those rates have not been raised in years. Another option considered by members was an increase in water tap fees. Woodbury’s tap fees have been the lowest of all its surrounding counties, currently at $900.00. Some surrounding counties charge $2,800.00 to tap onto the water supply.

The budget will not leave much cash left over after everything is paid next year, a fact that concerned members. Members will be looking into their various funding options over the next several months to determine what types of ways there are to improve the Town’s financial outlook without raising property taxes.

Things are not desperate for the Town, as they have an over $3,000,000.00 fund balance, but members cautioned that they were hesitant to use those funds to balance the budget because of the current state of the economy, the fact that it is not a reliable source of income and would be a poor financial practice. The budget is not officially approved until it is passed on second reading. Members will vote on the budget again at their June meeting.

One bit of bad news received by Members was the possibility that the long awaited pedestrian bridge connecting the Square with Dillon Park may not be feasible. Sealed bids were opened on Tuesday at City Hall and, much to the surprise of Town Officials, bids came in dramatically higher than expected. The only bid submitted was for $352,505.00. That is over $152,000.00 more than the Town has on hand to complete the project. The bidder blamed the high cost of concrete and other rising costs as the source of the high bid. One problem being faced by the Town is the fact that it is under a time constraint to complete the project. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has placed the Town under a lot of pressure to complete the project or possibly lose their money. Another problem is that not just anyone can bid on the project, Department of Transportation requirements dictate that only a person on their approved bidder list may be awarded a bid, a requirement that significantly limits possible bidders. Members said they did not want to abandon the project yet and would study the issue further prior to their next meeting.

In other business before the Board:

Members awarded at a bid to Jennings Motors for the purchase of a Ford Explorer for the Police Department. Jennings’ bid was $20,190.00.

Members approved a request by the Cannon County Youth for Christ to hold a 5K run to be held on June 28th. The route will take the run down College Street and through the neighborhoods in that area so that traffic is not interrupted. The run will start at 8 a.m.

Members approved a request for the installation of LED traffic lights and a turn signal at the intersection of Main and College Street.

Members discussed the first meeting of the committee appointed last month to look into the Town’s dog problem. The group reported that they are still researching several options and are open to suggestions.

Members approved a zoning ordinance setting up the permissible locations for meat packaging plants on second reading.