Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The City of New Rockford proposes to generate $372,435.42 in revenue from property taxes in 2024. Auditor Becki Schumacher reviewed the proposed budget with commissioners at their Aug. 7 meeting.
The general fund collections are projected to total $275,000, $50,000 more than in 2023.
Schumacher noted that the increase is due to rising costs in a few key areas. First, the budget for the auditor’s office increased by a third to $60,000 for additional staffing. Also related to human resources, she proposed a $70,000 increase in the water plant budget to attract and retain staff there. The city continues to look for a replacement for longtime water plant manager Rick Swenson, who has indicated he will retire soon.
Additionally, commissioners approved the police contract between the city and Eddy County, which will increase by 3 percent, or roughly $5,000.
Meanwhile, the city’s enterprise funds are showing signs of distress. The cost of snow removal was much higher than anticipated, as was the cost of chemicals at the water plant. The costs for mosquito control and the streetlight charges are also expected to exceed the 2023 budgeted amounts.
Schumacher proposes two actions to help correct the deficit in those funds.
The first is a series of transfers from the general fund. She proposes to transfer $90,000 out of the general fund in 2024, with $50,000 going to the water fund and $40,000 to the street fund.
The general fund is projected to have a balance of $396,896.58 at year’s end, more than enough to cover the transfer and retain a healthy reserve.
Secondly, residents can anticipate rate increases on utilities in the coming year. In her proposed budget notes, Schumacher called for overall increases to the water, sewer, mosquito control and streetlight fees in 2024.
A copy of the proposed budget is available to download here: https://www.newrockfordtranscript.com/home/cms_data/dfault/pdfs/misc/2023-08-28.pdf
The final 2024 budget will be reviewed and approved at a hearing on Monday, October 2 at 7:15 p.m.*
The commission’s next regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 5 at 7 p.m., a day later than usual in observance of Labor Day.
Update Monday, Aug. 28 - This article was updated to reflect the correct budget hearing date. The print edition stated that the budget would be reviewed on Sept. 5. In fact, the hearing will be held on Oct. 2, as century code requires that city budgets be reviewed and finalized no earlier than Sept. 7 and no later than Oct. 7.
