Briefs Mt. Crested Butte

Snow hasn’t slowed rec path extension
Work around the Mt. Crested Butte Town Hall has been plodding ahead, despite some snow that will eventually put an end to work for the season. Town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said the contractor was hoping to complete the MSE (mechanically stabilized earth) retaining wall in the Town Hall parking lot before breaking for the winter.

Sales tax collections continue upward track
September was another strong month for Mt. Crested Butte sales tax collections, with overall business jumping more than 6 percent over the same month last year and retail sales showing an improvement of nearly 30 percent.
The latest sales tax figures show the town bringing in $81,230 for the month, or more than $4,700 above what was budgeted. Finance director Karl Trujillo pointed out that May is still the only month this year that didn’t beat sales tax collected the year before, and “May is a relatively small month and we were only a small amount down,” he said.   

Budget process nearly over
Mt. Crested Butte is coming to the end of its budgeting process for 2012-13 and expects to have a second reading of the budget ordinance December 6, along with a review of the mill levy resolution. At a meeting on Tuesday, November 15, the Town Council agreed to earmark $5,000 for the newly formed Economic Development Council to use to get its mission moving.
Fitzpatrick said that because of the late arrival of mill levy information from the county, the town could hold a special Town Council meeting to approve the mill levy resolution.
Karl Trujillo attended Tuesday’s meeting to report that all departments are within the budget for this year.

Waste Management gets refuse and recycling agreement
The towns of Mt. Crested Butte and Crested Butte teamed up to bid for next year’s trash services and the winner was Waste Management. After the town of Crested Butte approved the agreement, the Mt. Crested Butte Town Council considered it at a regular meeting Tuesday, November 15, ultimately voting unanimously to approve the agreement.
The deal has a five-year term and could then be extended for additional three- and two-year terms if the council chooses to do so. The cost of trash service for town residents will go up slightly with the agreement, with residential rates increasing from $17.64 to $18.52 a month. The other bid the town received was for $23.10 a month per residence.