Bladenboro Town Administrator Melanie Hester presented her 2015-16 budget proposal to commissioners Tuesday night that called for the property tax rate to remain unchanged, a two percent pay raise for town employees and officials, and a rate schedule for town services that remains essentially the same.
Last year, the board raised property tax rates from 57 cents to 59 cents per $100 of property value. It was the first tax increase in at least 15 years.
The commissioners must pass a budget by June 30. The fiscal year begins July 1. A public hearing and budget workshops will be held prior to passage of the budget.
Hester’s $1.664 million proposal for 2015-16 is about $10,000 less than the 2014-15 budget. Hester notes that Bladen County has undergone tax revaluation this year. Appeals are being processed by the Bladen County Revenue Department, but, she writes that estimates “are trending to have an overall minor decrease from prior year.”
One major change in the proposed budget is the town’s cost for health insurance. This year, the health insurance package will increase less than one percent while last year’s budget included a 29.5 percent increase in health insurance premiums due to requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
Also, last year, there was no pay increase for town employees, a 1.6 percent increase in water, sewer, garbage, and commercial garbage rates, implementation of a leaf, limb and brown goods charge of $1.50 per month, and fee increases for other utility system services, zoning and planning fees, and miscellaneous services.
This year’s proposed budget recommends increasing the utility bill late fee from $5 to $7. All other service charges remain the same in the proposal.
Among one-time expenditures proposed include:
** Police department: Three vests ($2,100), repainting 2009 Crown Victoria ($2,500), GPS tracking for vehicles ($3,405), and body cameras with audio ($4,804).
** Street department: Mowing of large ditch banks around town ($6,000), purchase of a new lawn mower ($8,000).
** Water operations: Repair of fence around wells ($3,000), moving of water control panel when maintenance is moved to the old fire station ($4,000).
** Waste water treatment plant: Two influent/effluent pump repair kits ($6,700).
“Throughout the budget cycle, revenue streams and expenditures are closely monitored for unexpected changes,” Hester writes in her proposal to the board. “State legislature and other economic trends have had an unfortunate impact on municipal revenue streams in the past and we can neither predict nor control those changes. That being stated, I will the board informed on any changes or trends which could adversely affect the town’s financial situation.”
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