The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Finance department projecting regular budget increases, many projects ahead
By Katherine Nettles
Mt. Crested Butte town finance officer Karl Trujillo presented a five-year draft plan for the consideration of the Town Council on October 16, including budgetary predictions and goals.
“We run our town on sales tax revenue,” said Trujillo, who projected overall three percent increases annually on sales tax revenue, property tax revenue, and general fund increases.
Other sources of revenue for the town are new construction and the sheriff’s contract, which Trujillo noted in the document “is currently being negotiated,” and which is included in intergovernmental revenue.
He projected employee health insurance coverage increases at four percent. He discussed the cash reserves, which are kept at 50 percent of total expenditures (and any funds over 50 percent are transferred to the capital fund).
The capital projects fund was broken out into an expected $170,000 to be spent on roads, culverts, and road painting and maintenance, and for nondiscretionary items as well. Next year the town will break ground on a new maintenance facility for an estimated $1,571,000, and has received some grants to help fund that project.
Trujillo said they are looking at getting additional grant money, and looking at several other projects: paving the rec path all the way to Snodgrass and improving areas of Ted Scheske Park such as the playground equipment; getting ADA compliance; adding a basketball court; and hard surfacing the path to the Mountain Garden.
Last, he said, might be extending the rec path at the bottom of Gothic Road with “maybe a bridge over or a trail underneath Gothic Road.”
“Overall, we are really healthy, but we have a lot of big projects that we want to do,” Trujillo summarized. “Our bread and butter is still winter, but July revenues are starting to be almost equal to the winter revenues.”
Trujillo explained that his projections are based on historical increases, with the caveat that recessions are unpredictable and difficult to overcome. “During the recession, we lost almost 60 percent of our value,” he said.
The council approved the plan and it will be incorporated into the budget for 2019 and beyond.
