The proposed 2021-2022 fiscal year budget for the City of Piedmont was approved at their May city council meeting Monday, and the city has withstood the pandemic to come up with more money to work with in the coming year.
City Councilman Kevan Blasdel for Ward 1, said decaying streets and the need for a bigger water system will be tackled future projects. The approved budget is $13,713,975.
The City of Piedmont’s $10 a month fee on utility bills continues to generate $300,000 a year for streets, Blasdel said.
He said $1.3 million is for capital improvements and $1.5 million for roads.
Last year, the approved budget was $10,444,881.
“It is good that we are having more use tax from online sales that have gone up and that has helped,” Blasdel said.
City Councilwoman Melissa Ashford said the $13.7 million budget includes almost $3 million from reserves for road and the public works facility.
“I’m also extremely excited to get started on the downtown master plan,” Ashford said, who is city councilwoman for Ward V.
“We’re going to have several public meetings with citizens to get a good feel on what the community and business owners want for their town,” Ashford said.
Blasdel said the city revenues depend on sales tax, and that was a concern during the economic downturn of the pandemic. But sales tax revenues have bounced back with the help of online shoppers.
“If you shop on Amazon and you have that item delivered to your home in Piedmont we get the sales tax. Piedmont has done well as far as businesses located in Piedmont,” Blasdel said.
The Monroe Avenue downtown businesses have actually improved and they have generated sales. So our sales tax has held and use tax has increased, Blasdel.
He said he is glad the Piedmont Founders Day and “Junklahoma” returns Saturday, September 11. Also, the Freedom Fest event will return at 5 p.m. July 4 with a parade at 6 p.m. and followed by fireworks.
Blasdell said roads will continue to be an issue for Piedmont. The next major issue is going to be the city’s water supply and system. As more housing developments are built in Piedmont water issues will be ahead.
“We are going to need more water. We will be looking at building more wells in the Garber-Wellington Aquifer and building a pipeline.”
Blasdel said he does not think the city will need to raise taxes or pass a bond issue to finance such projects.
“I think we’ve got to do it out of our existing revenues. With new businesses coming to town that will help but I think we pretty much have the revenues we are going to get. I don’t think a bond issue or something like that is a realistic source of funding.”
