It is budget time and several Smithville departments are coming before the workshop meetings making their case for funding and equipment.
Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins addressed a budget workshop held on April 24, asking to create two new police officer positions within the department. The city currently has 15 police department positions, filled by 14 officers and an administrative assistant (records clerk).
Chief Collins said that with the city’s growth, there is a need for more officers. If the positions are created, the two officers would be assigned to night shifts. Currently there are only two nighttime officers and a nighttime sergeant.
In addition, Collins is asking that two more new police cars be funded in the new budget. The cost of the cars is expected to be $36,451 plus the city will have to include funds of up to $11,000 for each vehicle to equip them. Collins is also requesting the city to replace the police department’s 10-year-old Tasers.
Chief Collins also asked the city to budget funds for radar speed indicator signs. The portable digital devices can be moved from place to place to show motorists how fast they are traveling. Collins said it’s a great tool to warn speeders to slow down.
Smithville Fire Chief Charlie Parker is also asking for more manpower, asking the city for two more paid firefighters in the 2023-24 fiscal year budget. The Smithville Fire Department currently has three full time staff members.
Chief Parker said that his goal is for the city to eventually have at least six full time firefighters within five years. “This would mean we would have two firefighters on rotating shifts that would provide coverage 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.”
The city has 28 volunteers on the roster, but Chief Parker told the mayor and aldermen Monday night that the volunteers are not always available when needed because of other jobs and commitments.
Chief Parker is also requesting that the city make a commitment now to purchase a new fire engine to replace the oldest truck in the fleet, a 2001 model. Chief Parker said the old engine is beginning to have performance issues.
Parker is asking that the city purchase a Pierce PUC Pumper currently priced at $1,299,822, which includes loose equipment and that payments be made for it under a 5-year lease purchase plan. According to Chief Parker, the city’s first payment of $281,575 could be made upon placing the order, with four following annual payments. By acting now, Chief Parker said the purchase price would be locked in and the city could qualify for prepayment discounts since it would be up to three years before delivery of the new fire truck.
As for the 2023-24 operating budget, Chief Parker has made the following requests for increases:
• $10,000 increase for vehicle parts and repairs. A jump from $5,000 to $15,000 (due to anticipated repairs of aging vehicles and to replace tires on Engine 2)
• $12,000 for extra fire hose & equipment to better serve areas of the city that either do not have sufficient hydrant coverage or where the hydrants are too far apart.
• $10,000 for fire hall building paint and repair
• $2,500 for finishing the outfitting of the 2022 F-150 pickup
• $10,000 to add a hydrant on the fire department training ground site
The City of Smithville’s Public Works Department is also in need of some new equipment and more employees according to Public Works Supervisor Josh Hawkins. Hawkins asked that the city fund the purchase of a new jet washer on a 4×4 truck chassis primarily for sewer department services, although it could be used for other purposes such as cleaning out road tiles and to wash roadways and parking lots from water/sewer line leaks or breaks.
Hawkins said a new jet washer would be equipped with a camera to locate underground breaks in sewer lines, something the aging equipment the city uses now does not have. The cost for a new jet washer is expected to be $256,155 dollars which could be funded by the city’s water/sewer fund and street department budgets.
Hawkins also wants the city to create and fund a new maintenance employee position to work as needed at various places including the golf course, city pool, tennis courts, park, water plant, sewer plant, city hall, airport and others. He said this person would be able do jobs another city worker currently has to perform aside from his regular duties.
Another new position is needed in the public works department (city garage) according to Hawkins and this person could serve as a “floater” from one department to another. He would have his own duties but could be cross trained to fill in for others when they have to be absent from work.
Finally, Hawkins wants the city to purchase a new flatbed 4×4 dump style truck. The total cost is expected to be $78,531.
The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce is asking for more financial support from the City of Smithville and the County. Chamber Director Suzanne Williams addressed the workshop asking for a $10,000 increase in the city’s annual contribution to the Chamber, which if approved would go from $15,000 to $25,000.
Williams also addressed the county budget committee on Monday, April 3, asking for a $35,000 increase. The county currently contributes $25,000 annually to the Chamber. If the request is approved, the funding would go to $60,000.
The Chamber, a non-profit organization, was established to promote local economic development and tourism and it is governed by a board of directors and officers. Three years ago, the county raised its annual contribution to the Chamber from $17,500 to $25,000. The Chamber is also supported by membership dues and fundraisers.
Williams said DeKalb County’s Chamber remains one of the lowest funded in the state and could use the extra money to support its budget and mission.
