Here's the email sent out by Town of Cary announcing next year's budget. We have $185M in the capital improvement budget for water & sewer projects. This money is being spent to keep up with Cary's rapid growth rate. The developers aren't paying it (other than trivial impact fees), WE ARE. $185M is a lot of money, here are some other ideas for how to spend it:
PROPOSED BUDGET HOLDS LINE ON CARY TAXES & SOLID WASTE FEES, CONTINUES INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND STREETS
Public hearings to be held May 24 and June 14
CARY, NC – Citizens will once again have two opportunities this year to comment on the Town of Cary’s total proposed $387 million budget to support $153,263,306 million in operations and $233,940,367 in capital projects for Fiscal Year 2008, which runs from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. The Town Manager’s recommended plan includes no property tax or solid waste fee increase, while continuing to invest in utility, street, and park capital improvements including $1 million for the Town’s open space acquisition program. Citizens are invited to share their views at either of two budget public hearings to be held as part of the regular Town Council meetings on May 24 and June 14, which begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 316 N. Academy St., in downtown Cary.
“The Council’s direction over the last several years to delay new debt and further tighten spending while taking steps to facilitate tax base expansion have all combined to strengthen the financial outlook for FY2008. Major choices in the near future include the pace at which we proceed with additional capital improvements including major projects in the downtown area,” said Town Manager Bill Coleman, who reviewed his recommended budget with the Cary Council during a work session today.
Highlights of Coleman’s proposed capital plan include $37.2 million for street improvements and other transportation initiatives, $29.8 million for water projects, $155.4 million for sewer projects, $2.7 million for general government needs, $1.6 million for fire, and nearly $7.3 million for parks including $1 million for open space.
Highlights of Coleman’s proposed operating plan include maintaining the current property tax rate of 42 cents per $100 of valuation and keeping the solid waste collection fee at $11.75 per month as further efficiencies associated with the Town’s automated curbside collection and dual stream recycling programs are expected in FY 2008. Town staff has also been able to hold the expected rise in Cary utility rates to 4.3 percent—$2.73 more a month for a Cary customer using 7,000 gallons of water.
The proposed operating budget includes 41.25 additional staff to maintain existing service levels throughout Cary’s 53.35 square miles, particularly in the areas of inspections, engineering, technology services, public works and utilities, and parks. This increase in Town staff would bring the total to 1,122.375 full time equivalents (FTEs), or about 9.1 staff members for each 1,000 Cary residents – one of the lowest staff-to-citizen ratios in the state for a large municipality.
“Because we continue to operate under the philosophy that adding personnel is the most expensive, long-term solution to any situation, we work hard to find alternative ways to achieve our goals, only adding staff when it’s absolutely necessary,” said Coleman.
The Town of Cary’s annual budget is a work and financial plan designed to implement the Town Council’s vision for the community as articulated in the organization’s mission statement and goals and initiatives:
Mission Statement:
At the Town of Cary we focus every day on enriching the lives of our citizens by creating an exceptional environment and providing exemplary services that enable our community to thrive and prosper.
Goals and Initiatives:
• Achieve a well-planned community using innovative and proactive planning approaches and techniques
• Ensure that roads, water and waste water facilities, parks, and other infrastructure exists for the existing citizens and for the future needs identified in the comprehensive plan
• Achieve a stable and strong financial position by accurately estimating, prudently allocating and managing financial resources
• Achieve a high level of service to the citizens in a prompt, reliable, responsive, and cost effective manner
In addition to today’s work session and the budget public hearings on May 24 and June 14, the Town Council will hold at least one additional work session to discuss aspects of the proposed budget in greater detail. Any changes or additions to the Manager’s recommended budget that the Council would like included will be listed separately and voted on in conjunction with approval of the entire budget at the regular Council meeting on June 28. North Carolina law requires local governments to adopt a balanced budget by June 30 since the new fiscal year starts July 1.
Beginning May 11, printed copies of the budget will be available for review at Town Hall and at the Cary public library in downtown Cary and at the West Regional Library, 4000 Louis Stephens Drive. Information from the proposed budget will also be available at www.townofcary.org.
- Give it to me.
- Buy up lots of land and give it to WCPSS dirt cheap, they need it. Have the strip-miners (aka Developers) pay for the infrastructure.
- Begin more road improvement projects... This includes widening of route 55 to six lanes, same for High-House Rd. and Davis Drive. I know we just widened them to four lanes, but that just got us back to where we were ten years ago. With all the new Martha Stewart developments going in, let's get a head start! Don't forget the on/off ramps at the major intersections.
- My older son goes into high school this fall. He and his buddies are going to want to hang out at the Starbucks, which is on the other side of 55 from my house. Since route 55 is going to be six lanes, I'd like a pedestrian bridge built across it.
- Give it to me.
- Put up more traffic-management pole signs. The signs we have today provide such great information regarding traffic patterns and other news, I don't know how I ever got around without them.
- Give it to me.
- The kids play dodgeball in school and really enjoy it. Can't we use some of this money to build a regional dodgeball center? Dodgeballers from around the world would flock to Cary to use our facility. Our motto: "We're better than you,... and we know it!"
- Build an airport. We're out-growing Raleigh, and I think it is high time we had our own airport. If we can't rename the current facility to Cary/Raleigh/Durham Airport, then let's build. I like the jets in my backyard, just wish they were closer.
- Stop building all the houses, stop screwing up the school system, stop clogging the roads and save us $185M.
PROPOSED BUDGET HOLDS LINE ON CARY TAXES & SOLID WASTE FEES, CONTINUES INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND STREETS
Public hearings to be held May 24 and June 14
CARY, NC – Citizens will once again have two opportunities this year to comment on the Town of Cary’s total proposed $387 million budget to support $153,263,306 million in operations and $233,940,367 in capital projects for Fiscal Year 2008, which runs from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. The Town Manager’s recommended plan includes no property tax or solid waste fee increase, while continuing to invest in utility, street, and park capital improvements including $1 million for the Town’s open space acquisition program. Citizens are invited to share their views at either of two budget public hearings to be held as part of the regular Town Council meetings on May 24 and June 14, which begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 316 N. Academy St., in downtown Cary.
“The Council’s direction over the last several years to delay new debt and further tighten spending while taking steps to facilitate tax base expansion have all combined to strengthen the financial outlook for FY2008. Major choices in the near future include the pace at which we proceed with additional capital improvements including major projects in the downtown area,” said Town Manager Bill Coleman, who reviewed his recommended budget with the Cary Council during a work session today.
Highlights of Coleman’s proposed capital plan include $37.2 million for street improvements and other transportation initiatives, $29.8 million for water projects, $155.4 million for sewer projects, $2.7 million for general government needs, $1.6 million for fire, and nearly $7.3 million for parks including $1 million for open space.
Highlights of Coleman’s proposed operating plan include maintaining the current property tax rate of 42 cents per $100 of valuation and keeping the solid waste collection fee at $11.75 per month as further efficiencies associated with the Town’s automated curbside collection and dual stream recycling programs are expected in FY 2008. Town staff has also been able to hold the expected rise in Cary utility rates to 4.3 percent—$2.73 more a month for a Cary customer using 7,000 gallons of water.
The proposed operating budget includes 41.25 additional staff to maintain existing service levels throughout Cary’s 53.35 square miles, particularly in the areas of inspections, engineering, technology services, public works and utilities, and parks. This increase in Town staff would bring the total to 1,122.375 full time equivalents (FTEs), or about 9.1 staff members for each 1,000 Cary residents – one of the lowest staff-to-citizen ratios in the state for a large municipality.
“Because we continue to operate under the philosophy that adding personnel is the most expensive, long-term solution to any situation, we work hard to find alternative ways to achieve our goals, only adding staff when it’s absolutely necessary,” said Coleman.
The Town of Cary’s annual budget is a work and financial plan designed to implement the Town Council’s vision for the community as articulated in the organization’s mission statement and goals and initiatives:
Mission Statement:
At the Town of Cary we focus every day on enriching the lives of our citizens by creating an exceptional environment and providing exemplary services that enable our community to thrive and prosper.
Goals and Initiatives:
• Achieve a well-planned community using innovative and proactive planning approaches and techniques
• Ensure that roads, water and waste water facilities, parks, and other infrastructure exists for the existing citizens and for the future needs identified in the comprehensive plan
• Achieve a stable and strong financial position by accurately estimating, prudently allocating and managing financial resources
• Achieve a high level of service to the citizens in a prompt, reliable, responsive, and cost effective manner
In addition to today’s work session and the budget public hearings on May 24 and June 14, the Town Council will hold at least one additional work session to discuss aspects of the proposed budget in greater detail. Any changes or additions to the Manager’s recommended budget that the Council would like included will be listed separately and voted on in conjunction with approval of the entire budget at the regular Council meeting on June 28. North Carolina law requires local governments to adopt a balanced budget by June 30 since the new fiscal year starts July 1.
Beginning May 11, printed copies of the budget will be available for review at Town Hall and at the Cary public library in downtown Cary and at the West Regional Library, 4000 Louis Stephens Drive. Information from the proposed budget will also be available at www.townofcary.org.
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