Soon-to-be Interim City Manager J.R. Wilson presents the proposed 2023 budget to the Hope City Board of Directors Tuesday night.
In its second November regular meeting, the entirety of which can be seen below, the Hope City Board of Directors heard a presentation by incoming Interim City Manager J.R. Wilson of the city's proposed 2023 budget, then asked questions about the revenue and spending data contained in the document. The board also heard a short summary from William C. Miller, an auditor, regarding the results of an examination of the city's books for fiscal year 2021. It also decided to offer a discount on a tax lien to a person who wished to finally retire the debt for a 2012 demolition performed by the city on West Third Street.
In the presentation of the 2023 budget proposed by the city's management, which can be seen at the city board's website, J.R. Wilson, who, along with his current duties as Hope Police Chief will officially assume the duties of Interim City Manager January 1 after Catherine Cook retires from the City Manager position, began by drawing the board's attention to Budget Notes 2023 section that follows 46 pages of columned numbers.
That section says the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023 totals $18.078,984. The "abnormal size" of the budget is explained as a result of several projects that will be partially financed by grant money from the state. These include two projects to improve Hope's wastewater system, one of which would replace a chlorination-based disinfection method with one based on Ultraviolet Light ($497,000), the other would work to abate dredge overflow ($3.5 million). In addition, the city hopes to complete in Fiscal Year 2023 Streetscape Project to improve the look and walkability of most of the downtown area and Municipal Airport improvements relating to fixing the drainage system under the runways.
Whether the city receives a grant of state funds or not, it must complete the Ultraviolet disinfection work. The budget note points out that funds received already from American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed by President Joe Biden in March of that year can be used on the Ultraviolet disinfection system project should state grants not be provided. The same cannot be said of the dredge overflow project, which the budget says would not be undertaken without state funds.
Wilson mentioned that a rate increase for water and sewage system would have to eventually be passed by the board to keep adequate funds for upkeep of the systems involved. He showed line graphs on the screen in the meeting room showing those funds decreasing over the past several years.
Another upcoming expenditure in FY 2023 includes the $1,500 cost of living raise given to all full-time city employees in response to inflation. The board voted in the previous meeting November 1 to provide that raise amount plus a Christmas bonus to all full-time workers for 2022.
After going through the Notes, Wilson proceeded through the section following, entitled FY 2023 Capital Outlay Summary, which describes in greater detail the budget's plans for spending beyond the usual cost of running the city in each department.
Throughout Wilson's presentation, board members asked questions. Afterward, they made suggestions regarding additional spending Director Kiffinea Talley suggested a scoreboard for Northside Park and an addressing of a drainage issue. Cook said the water that sometimes stood at Northside was not there for long, as evidenced by the lack of wet weather plants in the areas concerned. Director Ross asked whether the budget reflected $20,000 per year contributed by the Rose Hill Association for upkeep of the cemetery of that name on North Hazel. Cook said it was questionable whether the association could keep up that pace of spending and the city would have to eventually decide whether it needed to take on the whole expense of maintaining the cemetery.
Earlier in the meeting William C. Miller, an independent auditor, spoke of the results of an audit of the city's records for 2021. In summary, he found them reflective of great financial health and praised Cook and City Finance Officer Cindy Clark for producing the documents requested by William C. Miller, LLC, promptly.
Asked by City Director Mark Ross if there were anything the board could improve on based on his audit, Miller said the City Manager's pending exit would be "losing an important resource," and further advised the board to conserve city resources in case of future needs.
The Board decided, after some discussion of options, to offer a woman who inherited property on West Third that has been under a tax lien of $8,801.76 since a building was demolished and removed by the city since 2012. She had written to the city expressing a desire to remove the debt from her late mother's estate but asking for a discount due to financial hardship.
The board agreed unanimously on a motion to give the woman six months to pay a reduced charge of $5,180, which subtracts the city's cost for use of a landfill, which must be paid within the time period or the charge reverts to the original cost of the lien. Mayor Don Still stated the city's need to keep such discounts rare.
Bonnie Raff, head of the John Cain chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, spoke about the origins of the county as land occupied by the Caddo tribe, and the state of the present-day Native American population, which she worked with while an educator in Oklahoma. She offered Mayor Still a proclamation of Native American Heritage Month for November, which he signed and read during the meeting. The proclamation is shown below the video of the meeting.
During the City Manager's report, Cook presented a request she had received in writing from Yerger Middle School asking for the city to waive the $200 fee for the school's use of Northside Park to hold a dance November 17. Mayor Still said that if such waivers were given, many others would request the same. The board took no action on the request.
In Citizens Request time, Marcia White alerted the board to the need for signs on the Northside Park dumpsters saying that use was prohibited to private citizens. Mayor Still and City Manager Cook said the signs would be placed there.
A short executive session called by the mayor resulted in no action. This was announced before the meeting was adjourned.
https://youtu.be/bIzIwufsMjo
Police Chief and Incoming Interim City Manager J.R. Wilson. Photo by Mark Ross.
Bonnie Raff of the John Cain Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Photo by Mark Ross.
William C. Miller, independent auditor. Photo by Mark Ross.
William C. Miller
Marcia White speaks during Citizens Requests.
