Wellington Council Roundup: And, oh, yeah, the 2017 City Budget was approved
by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — With all the controversy going on, last week’s Wellington City Council meetings was certainly one of the more memorable meetings in recent history. There were city council members either resigning or being ousted depending on your point of view, and a new city manager was hired.
Almost lost in the shuffle was the passage of the 2017 Wellington City Budget, which one could argue was the most important motion of all. There were also several other items of significance.
Here is a rundown on “the rest” of the meeting.
The council has been talking about its budget for a couple of months, and it received final approval after a public hearing at the meeting. The budget has a slightly higher mill levy, but taxpayers should not notice much of an increase. However, housing values do change, and even the final mill levy could still change, but the budget remains pretty much the same as last year.
Employees will get a cost of living adjustment, and the council also approved a higher pay scale for police officers. With some retirements, there should not be a significant change in the overall budget there.
Residents noticed their electric rates have gone up. The 30 percent increase was passed in 2015 that was enacted on January 1, 2016. But it was most noticeable when temperatures rose in July and August.
At the public hearing, one citizen suggested selling land, such as Worden Park, and other property, to try to lower the rates and help out with the budget.
The budget had been available for citizens to see for a couple of weeks, but new City Manager Shane Shields said as far as he knew, only one person had asked to look at the numbers.
Council member Jim Valentine was the only person to vote against the budget.
The council also approved SCKEDD as the administrator for the Community Development Blog Grant the city is applying for. If the city gets the grant it will be able to refurbish 14 total houses, nine are rentals and five are owner occupied. The state still has to approve the grant. The city could apply again if it does not get the grant, and may apply again for more if it does get the grant. The city also approved waiving permit fees for these projects.
The council approved a resolution to purchase equipment for electric distribution for $109,000, which had been budgeted.
The city received an update on the building at 107 W. Lincoln. City officials are still trying to work with the owners, and trying to get the building stabilized. They have managed to drain a pool of water that was standing on the roof, but much of that fell into the building and could cause further damage.
On the rural water issue, the city approved the hiring of another attorney who is specialized in these matters, to help the city attorney as the process goes on. The city is in compliance, but council members said it is complicated, and there are a lot of issues, so they want to be sure they are protected.
Also, a rental agreement with the Memorial Auditorium was approved.
