Wellington budget paves roads, expands Leeper Center
By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent
The preliminary budget for the town of Wellington in 2005 includes $140,000
for the expansion of the Leeper Center, money for street paving and repair,
funds for a nanofiltration system for town wells and $25,000 to celebrate
Wellington's 100th year of incorporation.
Total general fund income is expected to be $1,781,451 with expenditures
of $1,345,705, leaving a fund balance of $435,746.
This year, Leeper Center expansion was deferred in favor of work on a park
irrigation system and on sodding, seeding, fencing and landscaping projects.
Town administrator Larry Lorentzen said with the new budget the Leeper
Center work should be bid in February, with construction most likely beginning
in March.
Wellington's last unpaved roads on the west side of town have seen greatly
increased traffic along with new housing nearby. Money from impact fees
will help finance paving those roads in 2005. At an Oct. 12 planning session,
town trustee George Lutz expressed dissatisfaction that road repair on
Roosevelt and other streets in the older part of town were not tackled
first, however. Leveling and sealing operations there will probably not
occur until 2006.
No water will be available from Reservoir 3 this winter while North Poudre
Irrigation Co. performs maintenance on the outlet structure. Thus, to reduce
the hardness of the old well water system, the town purchased a nanofiltration
system which can handle 400,000 gallons per day. The plan is to have Reservoir
3 back in operation before spring water demands rise. The filtration system
is a "package plant" that will be moved and used at the regular water plant
when it is up and running again.
The cost of Wellington's contract with the Larimer County Sheriff's Department
for law enforcement services will also increase from $262,800 this year
to an estimated $329,500 next year.
Wellington property values have increased at a considerably faster pace
than the county as a whole (25.6 percent for Wellington versus 2.59 percent
for Larimer County). Normally this would increase revenues considerably,
but Wellington's mill levy has continued to decrease from its 1993 high
of 56.604 mills to 18.310 mills in 2003-2004 and 16.223 mills in 2005.
(The formulas for calculating taxes is actual property value X assessment
rate of 7.96 percent for residential property X mill levy/1000 = property
tax.) Wellington's property tax income is budgeted at a 15 percent increase
for 2005, but sales taxes are expected to be down 3 percent. General fund
expenses for 2005 are up 18.3 percent.
Lorentzen presented a tax comparison for small Front Range communities
ranging in population size from Mead's 2,174 to Manitou Spring's 5,198.
(Wellington's population is about 3,900, which is close to the average
of 3,571 from the 14 towns on the list.) Average property taxes for these
towns in 2003 was $433,713 while Wellington's was $296,250.
Budget planning will continue on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. prior to the regular
board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Public input will be solicited at the Dec. 14
meeting just before final approval by the board. For further information
or questions, call town hall at 568-3381.
|
