By Blake Proctor
The Town of Dublin’s earliest-in-the-county meeting on Thursday, June 4th was short but intense as Mayor Darryl Dowless called the meeting to order at 6 p.m., and the Town’s three-member Board breezed through an easy agenda to get to the crux of the meeting: Town Clerk Ashley Matthews’ budget proposal.
With no guests, no citizen input, and no old business to consider, Dowless made the Board aware of an oversight from the May 2nd meeting when the Board discussed closing a section of McLean Street for the First Baptist Church’s activities through the month of May; however, they neglected to actually vote on the matter. In a unanimous vote at this meeting, the Board ratified its earlier approval.
The Mayor was in receipt of a second letter from First Baptist requesting an additional month through the end of June for their project; mindful of its earlier omission, the Board made sure this time that there was a proper motion and a vote on the matter.
The Town’s CPA firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Company submitted an audit contract for the Board’s consideration to perform Dublin’s upcoming Fiscal Year 2019-2020 audit; as there was no change in the proposed fee, the contract was unanimously approved.
Although taking no further action at this time, the Board discussed the placement of a camper trailer behind the One-Stop convenience store and what actions would be appropriate if it is found that this camper is in violation of the Town’s ordinances. It was decided, however, to obtain additional information before any follow up occurs.
A citizen requested that the Town clean out the drainage ditch running through their property. Public Works Director Jonathan Ward explained to Commissioners that this is private property and therefore the Town is stopped by law from performing any work on the ditch. On the other hand, said Mr. Ward, if some of the drainage problems lie on the public right-of-way at either end of that property, the Town may be able to help with the drainage at those locations.
Mayor Dowless informed the Board that he, along with mayors throughout the 9th Congressional District, had signed letters to Congressman Dan Bishop, with copies to Senators Burr and Tillis, requesting federal assistance for municipalities in the 9th District that have been affected economically by the COVID-19 shutdowns. The letter, evidently originating with the City of Monroe, states in part, “We need your support for federal legislation to address this need so that our communities can move forward and so that an economic downturn is not prolonged.”
The letter continues, “[T]he greatest challenges moving forward for city governments are lost revenues due to the economic effects created by this virus. These include declines in sales taxes and occupancy taxes, as well as water and sewer utility revenues due to industry slowdown and because residents cannot pay their bills.
“If nothing is done to assist at the federal level, [Dublin] is just one of over 60 municipalities throughout the 9th District that will inevitably face hardships as a result of shortfalls directly brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.”
The Commissioners unanimously concurred with this letter and endorsed the Mayor having signed it.
Ms. Matthews provided an update on the upcoming Powell Bill project, making the Board aware of the bidding process for awarding both resurfacing and construction projects using Powell Bill money. Bid reception on and the award of a paving contract, and actual commencement of work, will proceed after the new fiscal year begins.
The meeting then adjourned and immediately went into workshop mode to discuss the proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1st. The budget document presented by Ms. Matthews was clear and concise; there were, therefore, only general queries from the Board, mostly seeking clarification on various line items.
As per State law, the General Fund budget was balanced at $350,177.75 for both revenues and expenditures. Ad valorem tax revenue will be increasing $3,200 or 4.8%; franchise tax revenues on the other hand are expected to plummet 43.3% from $22,000 to $10,000, and sales tax refunds are also going down 40%, to $5,000.
Revenues from the State Powell Bill will be going from nothing to $30,000. Appropriated Fund Balance – taking from the Town’s “rainy day” savings – will be increasing $59,483 this year, from $11,255 to 70,738; this is called for due to the loss of revenue directly attributed to the effects of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on the community.
General Government expenditures are budgeted to be $174,300, up from $171,307, a 1.5% increase; Public Safety (the Dublin VFD) is rising from $73,068 to $95,378 to make a $24,758 fire truck payment; there is only a $500 increase in the Streets budget, up to $16,500; the Powell Bill Department, being basically a pass-through account, is budgeted at $30,000, the same as the revenues from the State; and finally, the Sanitation Department, is also merely a pass-through where the Town bills $34,000 for garbage collection and pays $34,000 to the collection contractor.
The Water & Sewer Fund anticipates a FY 2021 budget of $937,274, up $131,848 or 16.4% from the current year’s $845,426; the increase is due totally to a $515,500 Community Development Block Grant for water improvements throughout town. Fund Balance appropriated for the coming year is $38,274, up dramatically from the current $1,950; that Fund Balance appropriation ensures that Revenues and Expenses are balanced.
As this budget is the “raw” document, there was no indication of changes in taxes, charges or fees, merely a nine-year accounting of all lines items in each department. Some funding decisions will be made at the scheduled called meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 15th where the budget will be finalized. The mandated public hearing on the budget prior to its adoption will be held after the workshop.
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