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Parkersburg City Council focuses on public works in first budget hearing

By Evan Bevins 3 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Mayor Tom Joyce had a simple answer when Parkersburg City Council President Zach Stanley asked him why the budget for relining stormwater pipes was reduced by $100,000 in the proposed fiscal year 2021-22 budget.

"We had to balance the budget," Joyce said during the first evening of budget hearings Monday.

"I like that answer," Stanley replied.

The line item for contractual services under stormwater management still has half a million dollars in it, directing more resources to the aging storm sewer system than a few years ago, Joyce said.

"You can do a lot of stormwater lining for that amount," he said.

There aren't many major changes in the budget, which projects total general fund revenue of $29,337,816, a decrease of $92,365 over the original projections for 2020-21, with expenditures of $29,937,816, up $7,635.

The administration proposes using $653,472 from the stabilization fund to balance the budget.

The largest decrease in revenue is a projected $725,000 drop in business and occupation tax, with the bulk of that coming from the continuation of a $500-a-quarter exemption to aid businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest is due to "some decline in economic activity as we continue through the pandemic effect locally," Finance Director Eric Jiles said.

Revenue from the 1 percent municipal sales tax has increased during the pandemic, and the projection for the fiscal year starting July 1 is a slight increase of $47,155 over this year's starting figure.

"Sales tax captures all online sales; B&O does not," Jiles said.

Council met Monday as the Committee of the Whole, hearing from the administration and asking questions about the proposed budgets for many departments and funds that fall under the umbrella of public works.

Although city officials hope to sell the Memorial Bridge to a private entity, the budget was prepared as if it will remain a municipal asset, Jiles said. There's $750,000 for continuing maintenance of the bridge, drawn from the projected $1,825,000 in revenue from bridge tolls.

The capital reserve budget includes $170,000 to replace the north elevator at the Municipal Building, original to the building which opened in 1979.

"The elevator's as old as the building is," Public Works Director Everett Shears said. "It needs upgraded. Parts are getting hard to find."

The last time the elevator needed repaired, it was out of commission for several weeks, he said.

Joyce joked that the north elevator was picked for replacement by the flip of a coin.

"The south elevator's as old as the north elevator," he said.

The contractual services line item for the floodwall is set to drop from $260,000 to $100,000. A lot of the expense this fiscal year went toward requirements to get the floodwall recertified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"That stuff all had to be completed for us to get back in the good graces of FEMA," Joyce said, noting it will not be a regular expense.

A public hearing on the budget and capital plan will be held during tonight's regular council meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building. The budget hearings resume at 6 p.m. Wednesday with a review of the remaining departments and funds. Amendments are to be offered during a 6 p.m. hearing on Thursday.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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Online

The proposed 2021-22 Parkersburg budget can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/y5rszdp8

Starting at /week.