The Cleveland Town Council hosted a number of public hearings to begin its meeting on Thursday evening, starting with questions and comments regarding the proposed 2023 budget.
Mayor Trevor Rowley stated that the budget is generally the same as last year, though some numbers were moved around a bit. There is a total of $237,700 for expenditures. Though some funds were moved, there were not any added revenues or expenses from the previous year.
Brydi Sharp, Cleveland Town Treasurer, then explained some of the numbers. She stated that, first and foremost, they increased the fuel budgets. Each line item that is a fuel line item has been increased between $500 and $1,000, depending on each account. There is also a need for an upgraded meter reader for the city, which was allocated and will come out of the Operating Experiences Utility budget.
The council also spoke on the PTIF funds, which are ultimately savings accounts for the town that the state oversees. The main account contains nearly $400,000 and is near the maximum allowed. With this in mind, the council believes it is a good year to buy necessary items, such as new lawn mowers.
Citizens that were in attendance asked the council a number of questions, such as what type of lawn mower would be purchased and the possibility of using some of the park funds to place wood or rubber chips in the playground.
The council also spoke on the water rates, with Mayor Rowley explaining that the Castle Valley Special Service District (CVSSD) raised its rates. In addition, the state legislature passed a law this year that is going to require every secondary connection to have a meter on it. Every secondary connection moving forward will also require a reader. Unfortunately, the meters are not free, prompting the need for the increase.
The garbage fee is also increasing as City Sanitation implemented a fuel surcharge due to rising fuel costs. The town has taken on the higher rate for a couple of months as they did not want to implement it onto the citizens without a public hearing for the budget. However, moving forward, the town will pass on the fuel surcharge.
The mayor did state that hopefully, when the prices come down, they can remove this increase. It was also stated that it will not be affecting base rates. Following a brief discussion, both of these topics were approved by the council.