News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Byrdstown Aldermen proposing a three percent increase in water and sewer rates for the new fiscal year Monday.
Mayor Sam Gibson said the new budget includes some $4.3 million in pending capital project expenses for the Water and Sewer Department. Gibson said increase is necessary to qualify for grants to help fund water and sewer projects.
“We will try to stay on that three,” Gibson said. “They wanted us to go six to more or whatever than that but I said if we can get by with it we are going to stay with three and go with that. And that’s what we put in our grant whenever we applied for the million dollars.”
Gibson said his biggest concern with the water and sewer budget is how close the expenditures will be to the revenue.
The expected net positioning for the Water and Sewer fund is to be at a sum of $17 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
“Our water budget is so close this year,” Gibson said. “Looking at our budget and I haven’t pulled it up yet but I’m going to think even a two-and-half to three-million-dollar budget is within $20,000 of expenditures being that close to revenue.”
Gibson voiced his opinion of disliking having to put depreciation on the water and sewer budget even though it’s a state law.
“We have to budget expenses in our water fund to offset depreciation,” Gibson said. “I’ve talked to the state on that and I’ve talked to MTAS and I’ve talked to people, it’s a way of forcing us to have kind of rainy-day fund in our budget.”
In other business, Aldermen appointed John Keisling as a replacement for Rex Tompkins. Tompkins passed away late last month. Keisling’s appointment was unanimous.
Gibson said that Thompkins was an important alderman to the town of Byrdstown.
“He is on plaques at the water plant and sewer plant, he is on these plaques where he was either mayor or on city council when they done the water expansions and renovations and so forth so he has been involved in city government for many years and he is going to be highly missed,” Gibson said.
The Aldermen held a moment of silence in memory of Thompkins before the meeting.
