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Lyndon
City Council
City to rely on sales tax to fulfill budget
Wayne White
Managing Editor
Lyndon citizens will be asked to consider next year’s budget
one day before they vote on a sales tax that has been included as
revenue in the proposed budget.
Monday night, the Lyndon City Council held a budget workshop, with
city administrator Larry Thurston saying the budget was prepared
with most line items being increased by five percent.
The council has set a sales tax election to be held during the Aug.
5 primary election. The city’s 10-year one-cent sales tax
expires at the end of the year unless citizens renew it. The sales
tax is expected to raise about $100,000 per year.
In the proposed budget reviewed by the council Monday night, expenditures
are approximately 10 percent higher than the current year’s
estimated expenditures – $1,336,181 compared to $1,475,988;
a 1.557 mil rate increase is proposed, from 54.860 to 56.417.
Council members previously discussed the possibility of the tax
not being renewed, and the possibility that an increase in sewer
and water rates or property taxes would be required to fund city
operations.
Monday, Councilman Vince Miller offered another option. “Your
choice is cutting expenditures or raise rates – the likely
choice is cutting expenditures,” he said.
Lyndon Mayor Bruce Williams said he had encountered a positive attitude
from citizens regarding the sales tax.
“I haven’t talked to anyone who is against it,”
Williams said.
“I have confidence people realize we need this,” he
said. “Hopefully they understand.”
City clerk Barb Schattak said she had checked with the state regarding
how the city will proceed if the sales tax is voted down. She said
if the tax does not pass in the August election, the city could
put it to a vote in the general election in November.
She said that if voters did not approve the tax in August, but approved
it in November, the state would still suspend the tax for three
months.
Also during Monday’s meeting, the council discussed the city’s
ongoing sewer repair project. Thurston reported the contractor,
K.C. Construction, Inc., had encountered problems with a map of
the contracted sewer repairs. In one instance, the work crew had
measured the wrong direction from a manhole, relying on the map,
and found a needed repair that was not in the contract. The crew
made the repair, but the company had requested a change order to
cover the cost of $1,450. Another change order request, at a cost
of $870, had also been received due to the crew finding sewer line
deterioration longer than the mapped 20 feet.
Andy Giles, K.C. Construction’s job foreman, described written
directions noting the repair points as accurate but somewhat confusing.
The map and written directions did not coincide in all instances.
“Sounds like you’re on an Easter egg hunt,” Williams
said.
“It does bother me when the plans are different than what
the directions say,” he said.
Giles said he expected his company to bring a sewer line camera
to the job site soon, resulting in a better view of the needed repairs
before excavation begins. He said the lines were previously videotaped
in 2003.
The council considered whether the city maintenance department could
repair the newly discovered pipeline leaks in order to save money
on change orders.
Thurston noted that as the project has progressed, the work crew
has also saved the city some money by repairing areas with less
expensive liners that do not require excavation. He said the company
was willing to work with the city on newly discovered repair points.
“I don’t want to have to do a change order on these
– I see a hundred of these (possible),” he said.
“I just don’t want to get to the end of this and be
$100,000 over budget,” Williams said.
Thurston assured Williams the project would not be that much over
budget and that possible savings could balance the unexpected expenses.
Though no vote was taken, the council offered no objections to Williams’
suggestion the city administrator be allowed to negotiate with the
contractor on unexpected repairs.
Williams told Giles, “Bottom line, we’re giving Larry
authority to work with you.”
The council took no action on the change orders.
In other business, the council heard from Williams that the city
would contract with CAS Construction to design modifications to
the city’s wastewater treatment plant. As later explained
by Thurston, the company will likely also be hired to make the modifications.
Williams reported that previously secured Kansas Department of Health
and Environment loan funds could be used for the modifications.
“We’ve got verbal agreement to use loan funds for this
work down at the sewer plant,” Williams said.
Thurston said the wastewater treatment plant’s recent test
results “have remained good” – below compliance
limits for ammonia. |
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