Multiple departments affected
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – City council grappled with budgetary considerations during the Nov. 13 meeting, where City Manager Albert Tripp presented an overview of the fiscal landscape and outlined key areas of focus for the upcoming year.
Tripp commenced the meeting by shedding light on the city’s current financial standing and emphasizing a strategic emphasis on capital projects related to transportation and utilities. Notably, the city is gearing up for utility and road construction on 10th Ave., along with several water and sewer initiatives.
The proposed budget, as articulated by Tripp, is made to ensure balance across various operating segments, including the expense (general) fund, the street fund, and the water and sewer fund.
The big topic being that Tripp has recommended substantial cuts in both law enforcement and parks and recreation departments.
Councilman Hank Bynaker said he had even heard questions of whether or not the recreation center was going to remain open.
“There seems to be a question out there that asks, are we going to close the recreation center entirely,” Bynaker said. “So that was one of the things I certainly wanted to explore, but I’m not sure if this venue tonight is the right place to do that.”
Tripp fielded Bynaker’s query and said he would speak on it.
“From my standpoint I’m not recommend that council close it,” Tripp said. “I think it’s a wonderful asset the community’s proud of and would like to see those services continue.”
Mayor Larry Bowman had been expressing concern about the cuts to staffing for the recreation center.
“I don’t know I’m just kind of flabbergasted that we’re significantly reducing staffing requirements there at the recreation center,” Bowman said. “You know, something we asked the public to vote on, they approved it, we built it so why are we looking to remove staff when we need those services.”
Bowman continued, saying he had discussions with both Chief of Police Brad Richmond and Parks and Recreation Director J.C. Kennedy about the community needing a resourceful outlet so they don’t go out and get in trouble as much.
“As the chief and I have talked about, and J.C. and I have talked about,” Bowman said. “We can either recreate or incarcerate right.”
“So, at that point why are we reducing when the community needs an outlet.”
Councilman Bynaker said they have to figure something out because there is a request to reduce the budget significantly.
“There seems to be this budget request of $826,000 we have to change,” Bynaker said referring to parks and recreation. “We’ve got to reduce operating costs by that, that’s a hefty amount.”
“So how do you do that?”
Most of the time, in order to balance a budget, wants are removed until needs can be met. The concept is the same with a city, so council will need to weigh departmental needs versus wants.
Such as with potential cuts to policing. According to Police Chief Brad Richmond, the police budget was cut by $2.4 million.
“That money was going to go toward hiring potential officers,” Richmond said. “We need to be able to hire more officers as the community grows around us.”
There was talk of the license plate reading cameras losing funding, but Councilman Kevin Richey said those are important as they directly help fight crime and find criminals which is something a police department may need.
The city and police department are a;lso outsourcing social media management for thousands of dollars per year.
Is paid social media management a definitive need for a law enforcement agency, or just something they want? Council will need to discuss these topics moving forward.
Tripp stepped back into the conversation and said the biggest reason the cuts were so heavy for parks and recreation is because the population favors the need for public safety over recreation when resources are limited essentially.
“The city operates from a balanced budget standpoint, that’s the requirement.” Tripp said. “So, there were reduction requests of about $995,000.”
“And that’s not an easy task, and it’s challenging getting there but it’s necessary to balance the budget.”
The numbers Bynaker mentioned differ from those from Tripp, and that is because Kennedy sent in budget numbers that didn’t match up with what Tripp needed for a balanced budget. Tripp said there was some miscommunication regarding the final numbers.
Tripp also said there is an option to use reserve dollars, but he recommends against that for a couple of reasons.
“The city could utilize reserves to fill a budget hole,” Tripp said. “But from COVID to now, we’ve been utilizing reserves in order to do that year after year.”
“The problem with that process is that those reserves will run out and then the city doesn’t have the latitude or the flexibility to go one route or the other.”
Essentially, if they continue down the same path and reserve funds run out, the city won’t get to pick and choose what gets cut.
Tripp reassured the council that, despite the proposed cuts, public service levels should remain consistent. Tripp highlighted that the recommended budget appropriations are in line with the objectives of the city council.
For the fiscal year 2024, the budget allocates approximately $12.2 million in resources, with just over $6.9 million sourced from taxes. Breaking down the tax revenue, $2.9 million comes from sales tax, just under $2.4 million from utility taxes, and $1.6 million from property taxes.
Within the general funds, charges for services contribute $1.4 million, while law enforcement grants make up $1.2 million.
Delving into specific departmental expenses, Tripp detailed the sewer fund, which accounts for $835,000 in expenditures. Of this, nearly $300,000 is earmarked for salaries, with an additional $126,000 allocated for benefits. Capital expenses for equipment stand at $94,000, while the department of revenue is allotted $95,000.
The 2024 reclamation budget reflects $1.8 million in expenses. The lion’s share is attributed to wages at $445,000, followed by capital expenses at $240,000, and utilities at $225,000.
As the city moves forward with budget deliberations, the balancing act between fiscal responsibility and maintaining essential services will undoubtedly remain a central theme.
Several council members agreed that as elected officials they will continue to engage in discussions to ensure that the final budget aligns with the needs and priorities of the community.
Immediately following Tripp’s presentation, several departments brought their discussions to the table. With presentations finished, there will need to be a public hearing held, and upon further deliberation can come to a point of agreement and adopt a budget for fiscal year 2024.
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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