Hot Springs votes on final budget

HOT SPRINGS – The Hot Springs Town Council assembled at the town hall on the evening of Tuesday Aug. 19, to hold a public hearing for the 2015 final budget.

The public hearing on next year’s final budget began at 7 p.m. and was quickly concluded due to the fact that no members of the public were present for the public comment period of the meeting.

The council proceeded with its business, convening to consider the final budget for 2015 and to set the mill levy for the coming fiscal year.

The Mayor of Hot Springs Randy Woods laid out the agenda as the council began to discuss the budget.

“We are doing three things. We are accepting the budget resolution, we will vote on that. We will set the mill levy, we will vote on that. Then we will adopt the cost allocation policy,” Woods said.

Once the meeting was underway Leslee Smith, president of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, asked if there were a lot of changes made to the budget once the final figures were entered.

Town Clerk Julie Lazaro said there had been minor changes to adjust the general fund.

“It was a matter of a few dollars adjusting general fund revenue because the revenue is slightly less than we received last year, it fell by $200,” Lazaro said.

The council also brought up the local government review, which was voted on earlier in the year.

The local government review is a study on the form of government currently presiding over the town of Hot Springs. It is not a review of members of the town government or the town’s employees.

The review allows additional mills to be levied up to $20,000 to cover the costs affiliated with the study.

According to Lazaro, all unused funds from the study will be accepted into the town’s general fund.

Following this discussion the council voted to accept the final budget.

The committee then moved on to the mill levy.

Lazaro said the town currently had 336.96 mills, 260 of which were allocated to the general fund.

One mill was allocated to parks and recreation, while .96 mills went to fireman’s relief.

The previously voted upon public safety mill levy will go towards public safety.

Last year the mills were worth $398 and this year they are worth $391.20.5.

Woods explained even when the mills go up or down slightly the town still ends up with a fairly equal amount of money.

“They change the value of the mills and drop millage, if the value of the mills drops they up our millage,” Woods said.

The council announced anticipated revenue is up by about $1,000 from last year as far as tax revenue is concerned.

After concluding discussion on the mill levy the council moved on to adopting a cost allocation policy.

Lazaro explained the expenses of the local government get split between the general fund and water/sewer/streets fund.

In a meeting with the auditor, the representative recommended putting current procedures in a set format.

“This is the same way we have been doing it. We are just putting it on paper,” Woods said.

Before the public hearing was held, the town council held a work session on continued ordinance review.