Leadwood sets budget and plans for groundbreaking
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
A reorganized Leadwood Board of Alderpersons met Monday, April 28, in their monthly meeting at city hall. The board approved the budget for the year and looked forward to the groundbreaking, May 6, for the new water system.
Since the April election, the board has changed its responsibilities with Todd Watson now overseeing water/sewer, Dawn Wilkinson overseeing police, Mary Gilbert maintaining her position as the park commissioner, and newly elected alderman Jeff Mahurin in charge of streets.
Each alderperson gave a brief report on the department they chair. Todd Watson ran through a series of repairs that were made and repairs to lift stations that are in the process of being completed. “They fixed three water repairs, two of them were five-inch mains, and several water taps put in. April showers brought lift station overflows. All the overflows have been documented and reported to the DNR. We have hired a company to rebuild a lift station down on East Street. It is a large lift station. We’re putting two five-horse pumps in this station, trying to get it up and going.” Watson also informed the board that several other lift projects would be completed that week. He also mentioned that the city now had its own pump truck, “and we’re already saving thousands of dollars.” The truck has seen considerable service in dealing with lift station problems.
A police update was given by Dawn Wilkinson, who reported that in March the police responded to “one burglary alarm, 46 traffic stops, animal complaints, one intoxicated person, a child custody matter, assisted DFS with one case, one motor vehicle accident,” among calls.
Mayor White weighed in on the animal complaints, “It’s not so much an animal issue, it’s an owner issue, and I really wish there was more of a way for us to punish the owner for allowing the issue to be an issue that it is. A big part of the problem with that is when it comes to animals on the legal part, we have to prove ownership, and unfortunately, when you’re talking about bad owners, they’re the ones that will abandon an animal pretty quickly.” Continuing, he said, “It’s not bad animals, it’s bad owners and I really wish the community would step up. If you don’t want to take care of the animal, just don’t’ bring it here.”
Alderman Mahurin will be reporting on streets. He said,” I appreciate you guys cleaning that mess up down around West Street exit. It had been there for about four months.” Other comments were made regarding city workers mowing and keeping up with the grass at park and entrances into Leadwood. “I think they’ve done a really good job on it so far,” added the mayor.
Mary Gilbert reminded the board that the Friends of the Fire Department are having a Spring Festival at the park, Saturday, May 3, from 11-5. Vendors, games, a dunking booth with various dunkees waiting to get wet, including the mayor. She commented that the Easter Egg hunt was held April 26 due, to the weather, but that the rescheduled event went well. She complimented the city workers and others who have continued to maintain the park.
The new water clerk was added to the bank account and s.u.b.s., the utility bill system.
Mayor White addressed the city budget that Todd Watson and City Clerk Amanda Queen constructed for the fiscal year beginning April 1. “The biggest task is our lack of revenue in the form of taxes of what comes in business-wise, real estate, and whatnot. I understand a budget is basically like balancing your checkbook. You have a certain amount of income coming in and a certain amount that’s going out. So, we try to make sure that the budget is worked into where what’s going out within the limits of what’s coming in. Our city pays for our city.”
When asked the total amount of the city budget, Watson explained, “It’s broken down by department, so the general, which is just the city government side of it, you know, so it’s broken down into three separate categories because water and sewer are their own entities. They have revenue, and it’s only spent on water. So, the only thing that we can live off of as far as the city goes, the government, is all taxes. And they’re all over the place from year to year, but we have noticed, and I pointed this out last April when I started looking at numbers and looking at budgets, we have a declining budget. Several years ago, it was a million dollars, then it was 900,000. We’re talking total, that’s sewer water, and city. But as far as the city goes, every department is declining.”
Watson continued his assessment of the declining tax base in Leadwood, “I think it’s because we’re losing housing because more and more housing is dilapidated and people can’t live in it, it’s condemned, and so you’re not getting water revenue, we’re not getting tax dollars off of it, you’re not getting property tax, so we’re declining. So, income on the city side was $349,000. Just under $350,000. $349,200 is what we have.”
Watson added, “What saves us is sales tax. Sales tax in the city was $136,000 which is three times what we brought in in real estate and property tax.” Mayor White added, “When people say buy local, that’s the reason.”
However, both the mayor and Watson cited signs of revival in the community beginning with the demolition of unsafe housing and the hope that the new water system would encourage new growth.
In other business, the city approved 9 new business licenses for the community.
The Leadwood Board of Alderpersons meets on the fourth Monday of every month at 6 p.m., in City Hall. Meetings are open to the public.
Dan Schunks is a staff writer for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at dschunks@dailyjournalonline.com.
