The Stuart Town Council approved the fiscal year 2024-25 budget of $2,159,550 at its May 15 meeting.
Mayor Ray Weiland said the budget includes a four percent raise for all employees.
“I think” the budget is “pretty good. I’m glad we’re able to give out a fairly nice raise this year,” he said.
Noting that the sewer fees will also increase to match the water fees, “which is about $2.65 or something like that,” Weiland noted that as far as major changes, “pretty much, that was it.”
Town Manager Bryce Simmons said the changes to the utility fees will generate an additional $25,000 over the year, “which is not a huge amount. The over $2,000 cost, the additional fee, is unchanged. This fee will affect all customers, but it will be just on the base fee.”
Weiland said he sees the potential for some out-of-town users who don’t have sewer service to see a decrease in cost because of the adjustments.
Every year as he goes through the budget process, Simmons said the budget will get more and more detailed.
“So, we’ll be able to see more line items. We’ve got a pretty good amount of line items now, so we can really look at some pretty good detail, but there’s always room for improvement or additions,” Weiland said.
The budget includes $889,409 for general expenses like salaries, insurance, contributions, blight enforcement, and other items.
The town expects to receive $1,225,310 in general revenues from business licenses, meals tax, property taxes, state sales tax, and other revenue sources for the next fiscal year.
The budget includes $261,688 in sanitation expenses and an anticipated $178,800 in sanitation revenue.
Its sewer revenues will be $356,960 and its sewer expenses will be $544,242. The water expenses are $464,212, and the water revenue will be around $398,000.
In other matters, the council:
*Approved its meeting minutes as written.
*Heard an update on public works projects.
*Discussed town policy.
*Accepted the recommendations of the town Planning Commission to send a letter to the property owner of parcel 4811-53, which is the former Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County, for the unmaintained grass and maintenance of the property. Recommendations were also made to send a letter to the property owner of parcel 4811-9-347, or the Judge Ruth House, due to unsafe property concerns, and letters regarding inoperable vehicles on Chestnut Ave. and Mayo Court.
*Discussed the implemented noise ordinance.
*Paid the bills.
Councilmembers Rebecca Adcock, Terry Dalton, and Town Attorney Chris Corbett did not attend the meeting.
