Colfax approves tax levy of $463,088 for 2017 budget

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX —  Following a budget hearing December 1, the Colfax Village Board has approved a tax levy of $463,088 for the 2017 budget of $1,160,494.

Although no members of the public were at the meeting at the time the public hearing was opened, the Colfax Village Board kept the budget hearing open for 20 minutes to accommodate any village residents who might have arrived late and wanted to speak about budget issues.

Funding for future street projects was one of the budget issues the village board discussed.

After reducing the budget by nearly $34,000 at the November 28  meeting, the set aside funds in the 2017 budget for future street projects is now $35,000.

Although $35,000 is not by any stretch of the imagination enough to reconstruct and repave a street — the village spent $350,000 this year on the Third Avenue project — “$35,000 is still a good start toward a street project,” said Scott Gunnufson, village president.

The village board also can consider money remaining in the 2016 budget at the end of the year in the undesignated fund, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.

If there is money remaining, the village board can allocate it to a designated fund, she said.

Keith Burcham, village trustee, wondered when the village board could expect to know how much money remained at the end of 2016.

After the preliminary audit in January, the village board will know how much was left over in the budget, Niggemann said.

Water and sewer 

Burcham also wondered if the water and sewer rates in Colfax were adequate to cover the utility budget.

The water utility is expected to have revenue of $261,790 in 2017, with an expense of $256,036, according to the revised version of the budget summary presented to the village board.

While the water utility is expected to have about $5,000 more in revenue than expenditures, the sewer utility is projected to lose money in 2017.

The sewer utility is expected to have revenue of $174,100, compared to expenditures of $191,000, representing a shortfall of about $17,000.

Niggemann said she is currently working on analyzing the water and sewer rates.

The village board will have to consider how to pay for the river bank restoration project along the Red Cedar River, she said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on designing a project to stabilize the river bank to stop the erosion and keep the village’s wastewater treatment lagoons from washing out.

While federal funds will pay for the majority of the project, Colfax will still have to come up with somewhere around $500,000.

Ron Verdon, president of the Tainter Menomin Lake Improvement Association, is checking with the state Department of Natural Resources to find out if there might be any grant money to help the village pay for the Colfax portion of the project, Niggemann said.

Approval

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the general fund budget of $1,160,494.

The general fund budget includes $27,120 for the village board; $157,784 for administration; $11,325 for the village hall; $201,642 for the police department; $131,325 for fire protection; $18,433 for the rescue squad; $1,550 for inspections; $196,745 for streets; $26,500 for street lighting; $11,646 for solid waste; $25,500 for recycling; $26,706 for the cemetery; $134,444 for the library; $47,744 for parks; $64,900 for capital improvements; and $78,130 for debt service.

The Colfax Village Board also unanimously approved the rescue squad revenue budget of $487,600 and the expenditure budget of $465,100 as well as the water utility and sewer utility revenue and expenditure budgets.

The mill rate for the 2017 budget will be $24.68 per $1,000 of property value. In addition to the tax levy of $463,088 for the village, the tax levy will be $7,895 for the state; $314,475 for Dunn County; $382,016 for the Colfax school district; and $37,818 for Chippewa Valley Technical College.