Finance News (Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)

PARKERSBURG — A proposed sanitation fee increase is expected to generate about half a million dollars in the upcoming fiscal year, Parkersburg’s finance director said during a municipal budget hearing this week.

“This increase is expected to net approximately $500,000 … after any uncollectible amounts are written off,” Finance Director Eric Jiles said during Thursday’s meeting of Parkersburg City Council’s Committee of the Whole.

The sanitation fund was among the areas discussed during Thursday’s session, the second of four scheduled budget hearings. The next one is slated for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, with the last one, where any amendments would be considered, set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20.

Mayor Tom Joyce proposed a $4-a-month sanitation fee increase after the general fund subsidized sanitation for a combined $882,000 in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The budget projects a $100,000 surplus this year, after a $200,000 transfer to the capital reserve fund to be put toward a new sanitation vehicle.

Councilman Zak Huffman on Thursday asked why the overall salary line item in sanitation was projected to decrease by nearly $54,000. Pay for sanitation workers has been a point of discussion at recent council meetings. They are included in a 4.2% cost-of-living adjustment included in the budget for all employees except elected officials.

Jiles and Joyce said the decrease was the result of turnover, as longer-serving employees have additional pay in the form of retention bonuses of an additional 50 cents an hour for 10, 15 and 20 years of service. Some might still have had longevity pay, a practice frozen by the city more than a decade ago.

“There’s been a lot of retirements from this department over the last four to six years,” Joyce said.

Huffman asked if recent calls he’s gotten about inconsistent trash and recycling pickups were the result of manpower or equipment issues.

Joyce said it’s a combination, adding there are about 10 openings in the department for medium equipment operators. He said sanitation is not the only department that’s understaffed, pointing to the Police Department and engineering as other examples.

“There are workforce issues that are challenging for us as a government entity,” Joyce said.

The Police Department is budgeted for 68 officers and has 63, Chief Matthew Board said Thursday.

The Fire Department is budgeted for 54 firefighters in the operations division with four vacancies that Chief Jason Matthews said he hopes to fill soon.

Other budget notes:

* The Parks and Recreation Department budget includes $770,730 to pay the lease to the Municipal Building Commission for the activity and recreation center being built in City Park, while the Fire Department budget includes $130,770 for the under-construction Fire Station 3. Jiles said the combined approximately $900,000 “is equal to the amount that we’re pulling in from the investment pool, interest income, to pay for it.”

* The Parks and Recreation Fund, which includes the city’s pools and waterslide, will be subsidized by $175,000 from the general fund, Jiles said.

* The budget includes approximately $2.18 million for street improvements, including paving, slab replacement, asphalt rejuvenation and a new process called micropaving, which is designed to extend the life of asphalt.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com