By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty updated city commissoners last week on the amount of money available in the commission’s financial policy projects fund.
Currently, the commission has around $2.5 million in the discretionary fund that has accumulated throughout the fiscal year, according to Dougherty. Approximately $1.5 million of that will be used to offset the mill levy to keep it at 25 mills, which leaves the commission with approximately $1.09 million. The fiscal year ends June 30.
The commission also has approximately $812,000 in excess funds from previous capital projects. According to Dougherty, when the city identifies a project, they estimate it and then the commission immediately moves the money in order to pay for them. Due to the fact some projects have came in cheaper than expected, those extra funds are available to the commission under the same policy. This leaves the commission with approximately $1.9 million.
The commission has approximately $558,000 worth of items that have either been identified or discussed for funding that will come out of that fund. Approximately $205,000 is needed for the 13th Street curb-to-curb reconstruction, and approximately $203,000 will be used for the airport terminal renovations. The commission has also committed $150,000 for the Core to Campus Initiative with Fort Hays State University.
Dougherty provided commissioners with a list of other potential projects. Items include a $1.5 million Eighth Street replacement program from Milner to Vine; a $3.5 million Allen Street replacement project from 13th to Vine; an opportunity to add $250,000 to the annual street maintenance program; new street signals on Vine Street, which would cost the city around $50,000; signal upgrades at 22nd and Canterbury, which would cost around $30,000; and the opportunity to pay off a $600,000 bond.
“Commissioners can look at this and decide if they value a certain project more than another,” Dougherty said.
Owing mostly to a special sales tax collected to fund long-term water improvements, the city also has a sizable reserve invested — more than $53.5 million. Should the R9 Ranch project — a water pipeline to Edwards County — proceed as planned, the city has said that reserve would be used to fund the bulk of that project.