The Huntersville town board held a two-hour long budget workshop meeting this past Monday to discuss various items from the town manager’s recommended FY 18/19 budget. You can watch the video here. (fyi – you’ll need headphones with the volume turned up high to hear most of the conversation.) Public comments on the FY 18/19 budget will be heard during the upcoming town board meeting on Monday night. If you really want to make a difference in how your tax dollars are spent, review the recommended budget, watch the budget workshop meeting, and show up Monday night with some informed comments/questions for the town board to consider prior to their final vote on the budget next month. And if you’re unable to make it in person Monday night, email your comments/questions to the town board.
A few highlights from the budget workshop. The town will be paying far more for electricity next year because of an incorrectly installed meter. How this meter was installed incorrectly or how many other incorrectly installed meters may exist at other town buildings wasn’t discussed. A department head once again has no answers for the board when asked about alternative costs for a proposal just like he had no answers for the board about why he didn’t put a recent maintenance contract out for bid – costs don’t matter when you’re spending someone else’s money. A town board member demonstrates their inability to interpret a budget while trying to score political points. HFFA is finally in the black for the first time in years (maybe ever?). HFD, Inc. Chief Dotoli gets some batting practice in while the board tosses him a few softballs right over the plate. And an hour long discussion about police pay that ends in no clear consensus for any additional pay or step-plan for HPD besides the 4% pay raise being recommended for all town employees.
– Intro remarks by town manager Huffman (always worth listening to her discuss anything budget related)
– 10:10 mark – Parks and Rec discussion
– 19:30 mark – Electricities discussion
– 29:05 mark – HFFA discussion
– 40:00 mark – HFD, Inc. discussion
– 55:00 mark HPD discussion
Eric