Much has been said regarding $42 million in capital improvements identified earlier this year for the city government of Mount Airy, which has led to municipal officials tweaking their approach during a meeting Thursday afternoon.
This included reducing the scope of the outlook for capital needs — typically referring to major building- and equipment-related items such as vehicles, roof replacements and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) upgrades standing apart from daily expenses — to five years.
That move was proposed by Commissioner Steve Yokeley and supported by other members of the city council in a 5-0 vote.
“I agree,” a fellow commissioner, Marie Wood, said of shortening the time frame for the Capital Improvements Plan process. “I think a 10-year plan is too long.”
The successful motion by Yokeley containing that provision also directs the municipal staff, including City Manager Barbara Jones and department heads, to identify priorities for the next five years, to be reviewed and modified annually.
“We have a professional city manager and professional department heads,” Yokeley said, adding that those individuals best know the priorities. “They need to give us (the commissioners) something we can talk about.”
After the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners agrees on the most-pressing needs, the motion further calls for establishing a framework for funding them with assistance from Doug Carter, a Charlotte consultant. He was contracted to provide various financial-adviser services to the city government in 2018 at a cost of $100,000.
The five-year plan is to be prepared by the board’s second meeting in October, on Oct. 15, with the possible funding options to be determined later with input from Carter.
“If we’re ever going to borrow money, now is the time to do it with interest rates being so low,” Yokeley said of one alternative.
“I just think it needs to be done before our budget process,” he said of an annual ritual that heats up each spring.
Carter has met with Mount Airy officials multiple times in the past year on the capital needs, which seemingly have taken a back seat during the COVID-19 epidemic, with the last such meeting occurring during the winter.
Automated garbage pickups
Although municipal leaders mostly were looking at the five-year plan in general terms Thursday afternoon, including its financial implications, some specifics did emerge, including Commissioner Tom Koch advocating the implementation of a new sanitation system in town.
“The only capital improvement that will save us money is automated garbage collection,” Koch said of a proposal that has been greeted with enthusiasm by Mount Airy officials in recent years but never actually imposed.
It could mean spending at least $1.2 million up front for new side-loading garbage trucks, brush carts and a grapple truck to allow a shift to the automated trash-collections, based on figures earlier reported. This would eliminate salaries of four employees who now manually dump trash carts into trucks.
Koch said this change would pay for itself eventually, and suggested a $3 fee be added to municipal water-sewer bills to facilitate that.
However, other board members do not want to go there yet.
“At this time, to suggest that we would do a $3 fee is ahead of the game,” Commissioner Ron Niland said. “I think it’s a little early to say here’s what we’re going to do as far as a fee.”
Commissioner Wood also said she was against handling capital needs on a “piecemeal” basis. “If we don’t do it in a systematic way, we’re not going to save money.”
For example, she said that instead of rushing out to buy new sanitation vehicles, the city manager should explore the cost of leasing instead. “I don’t think we can sit up here and say we need these garbage trucks right now.”
Cawley, however, believes the approach presently being taken with capital improvements is often all over the board, including expenditures sometimes being delayed from one year to another.
“It’s all piecemeal,” he commented. “All we’re ever doing when we’re buying stuff is buying time.”
Niland suggested that proposed capital improvements be separated as to what’s needed to support day-to-day operations, such as sanitation and police operations, and items that are non-operational including one-time expenditures like sidewalk construction.
“I think we need to find out what we need for the city.”
Consultant role debated
Discussion also was devoted Thursday afternoon to the continued involvement by Carter, the financial adviser, in the Capital Improvements Plan process.
Koch said he believes Mount Airy has spent too much money on consultants in recent years, including Carter and others. “Let’s see what the staff can come up with on this (instead),” he added.
Other board members disagreed.
“I have no problem with Barbara using Doug Carter,” said Wood. “We’ve already got a contract with him.”
Wood further mentioned that this is a busy time of year for Jones and other staff members, including having to prepare for an annual audit.
“I also think it’s important to get him involved with it,” Yokeley said of engaging Carter further in the capital needs planning. “I think he can save us money in the long run.”
“We certainly need the help and experience of Mr. Carter,” the city manager responded.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com