Marty Gordon
The finance director for the town of Christiansburg, Valerie Tweedie, is recommending no new tax increase for the upcoming fiscal year. Tweedie presented a draft budget to council on Tuesday night that would not change the town’s current tax rate of 16 cents per $100. The total budget would be $28.723 million.
Tweedie said the town’s water rate would increase by $1 per 1,000 gallons. There would be no increase in sewer rates, but a slight rise would be required on building permit and planning review fees from $40 to $50.
“We have forecast existing revenue streams to increase 3.6 percent overall for the general fund and operating expenditures for the general fund to increase of 4.7 percent,” her report said. “The increase is due primarily to increases in salary and wages for operations.”
The draft budget includes a one percent merit pool for full-time town employees and a two percent cost of living increase. Requests were made for three new staff: a network administrator, a property maintenance staffer and a radio technician.
Also, no new debt is currently proposed for this year.
Nearly $19.6 million is included in the draft for capital construction projects with $7.9 million offsetting that amount from grant money and another $1.2 million from stormwater fees. The remainder of the amount, according to Tweedie’s draft budget, is supported by town funds and/or revenues from water and sewer fees.
She said the five-year projections show moderate growth and inflation in other years of about two percent.
Her numbers project a small tax increase would be needed in 2022 and a water increase would be needed in 2020.
“Available resources over the next five years for capital will not sustain the rate of new projects currently projected to be completed in the next five years. Careful consideration of council priorities in the future projects will be required to balance available funds with desired projects,” Tweedie said.
The draft recommended that the town continue to set aside money for specific future projects.
Council will now hold several work sessions to scrutinize the details of the 2019-2020 budget with a public hearing expected at the first meeting in May. A final vote on the matter is expected by early June.
In other matters, council agreed to push back an agreement with developers of a planned shopping center on North Franklin Street. The town and Marketplace shopping center had agreed on the shared expense of a new signal light that would lead into the site. The plan had called for the work to be completed by the end of this year. Recent stormwater work has slowed the project, so the developer asked for additional time. Now, the project would be extended to the end of 2020.
Council also learned another restaurant will be constructed along North Franklin Street below Christiansburg High School. A representative of Captain D’s asked the governmental body to vacate a right-a-way between the former G&H Appliance location and the Kanode house. Council agreed, and the project will now move forward. Completion is expected to be in the next 18 months.
Craig Moore was recognized for his long-term service on the town’s planning commission. He had served on the commission since 2006 including stints as chair and vice-chair.