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VICTORIA'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
ABOUT $20 MILLION OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS
Councilmembers held a workshop on September 8th to review a list of capital improvement projects placed before them by the various city departments. The wish list included purchases that extended from 2006 through the year 2010.
In questioning capital expenditures as proposed by the Victoria Fire Depart-ment, totaling $1,122,500 over five years, Councilmember Mary Thun said, "I'm not saying we don't need these things. I'm sure the Victoria Fire Department would not ask for things they don't need but, wow, this is a lot of money for a small town, a lot of equipment."
Assistant Fire Chief Gary Sohns stated that the City of Victoria is only putting away $75,000 per year for the purchase of new fire trucks while other cities are stashing $85,000 to $110,000 per year. Victoria councilmembers, how-ever, stayed put at $75,000 in the 2006 city budget for fire trucks.
One of the capital expenditures on the wish list of the Victoria Fire Department is a $650,000 ladder truck in 2007. In response to a councilmember's question, Gary Sohns explained that a ladder truck is used to fight fires on structures that have three levels on at least one side.
The Building Inspection Department listed, among other expenditures, $16,000 in 2007 for a vehicle to replace the 1997 Ford Ranger.
The Downtown Redevelopment cate-gory included $2 million in 2007 for downtown parking facilities.
The Field House listed $29,000 for fitness equipment in both 2007 and 2008.
The Finance Department itemized $230,000 in 2008 for "Upgrade Software: Financial Information System."
The Parks and Recreation Depart-ment included $85,000 in 2006 for paved trails at Diethelm Park and $80,000 for a picnic shelter at Diethelm Park. It also includes $75,000 in both 2007 and 2008 for an irrigation system at Lions Park and the reconstruction of tennis courts at Lions Park and South Virginia Shores. The five-year wish list totals $634,200.
The Public Works Department hopes for $3.7 million in capital expenditures over the next five years for several pieces of equipment and utility repairs and in-cludes $2,750,000 for a new Public Works facility in 2009.
Proposed capital improvements in-clude $10.5 million for continued street improvements over five years and $580,000 in 2007 for another elevated water storage tank.
Grand total of capital improvements being proposed through 2010 for the City of Victoria: $19,520,629. Neither the list nor the timetable is cast in stone but gives a heads-up in planning for the future.
SEEKING CREATIVE WAYS
TO HELP FUND THE VICTORIA FIELD HOUSE
The preliminary 2006 budget for the City of Victoria includes an operating transfer of $274,382 to the Victoria Field House. This transfer comes from the city's General Fund Operating Budget which totals approximately $3.3 million in the preliminary budget for 2006.
Total proposed operating budget for the Field House for 2006 is approximately $1.1 million.
Scott Manion, a citizen representative on the Victoria Finance Committee, sug-gested food for thought to the Victoria City Councilmembers in regard to making up the difference between revenue and expenditures at the Field House.
He said that every household in Vic-toria currently contributes about $245 per year to fund the Field House. He said that for another $58 per year, every resident could come in and use the Field House "for free," without having to purchase a membership package.
Scott said that by avoiding the sale or purchase of resident memberships, there would be even more patronage of the Field House. "You'd get more people in the door to use the concessions and therefore more revenue," he said.
Councilmember Richard Tieden pointed out that parts of the Victoria Field House are already open for "free" to the community, such as the walking track, and that "a lot of people are already using it who are not members."
Richard added, "We're doing really well considering that Lifetime Fitness just opened down the road."
Councilmember Mary Thun believed that Scott's idea deserved further consid-eration. "I think the Field House Board should look at this proposal, maybe not this exact proposal but something like it. It is a creative proposal and there might be others out there. There might be ways that would decrease the amount that tax-payers would have to come up with."
Bruce Osborn, Public Works Superin-tendent, pointed out that Scott's $58 figure would be, in fact, a smaller number because revenue is also coming into the Field House from some members who are not residents of Victoria.
TRYING TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT
IN THE VICTORIA FIRE RELIEF FUND
Jeff Nordeen, secretary for the Vic-toria Fire Relief Association, provided councilmembers on September 8th an in-depth look at the firefighters' relief fund. "We've switched financial planners," said Jeff. "Our number one goal should be to eliminate or reduce the deficit. This actually has an influence on the city's bond rate … so we're actually not here asking for a raise."
Almost every year the Victoria fire-fighters ask for a $100 increase per fire-fighter in the annual contribution made by the city toward their fire relief pension.
Victoria firefighters currently receive, upon retirement, $1,872 for every year that they have served with the Victoria Fire Department. The city's contribution toward this retirement pension in 2005 is $29,845. The state's contribution toward this pension in 2005 is $40,930.
A brief history of relief fund numbers showed that the benefit level in 1998 was $1,300 per year of service for each fire-fighter. That number is projected to reach $2,100 in the year 2009.
The new number is always retroactive to a firefighter's first year of service with the department. For example, if a 30-year veteran of the Victoria Fire Department retires in 2009, he'd receive a check for $63,000.
Responding to the fact that the Vic-toria firefighters will not be asking for a raise this year, Mayor Jerry Bohn stated it was good that both the City of Victoria and the Victoria Fire Department could each "give in a little bit" to try to reduce the deficit in the Victoria Fire Department Relief Fund.
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