Report: Zachary budget in good shape
ZACHARY — Zachary’s budget for the upcoming year “looks good,” Chief Financial Officer Steve Nunnery told the City Council on Tuesday.
Nunnery noted the city would be able to complete its current projects during the 2012-13 fiscal year, while staying in the black.
“Sales taxes are still going up,” he said.
Projects to widen McHost Road and to carry out ongoing sewer improvements are still in the works, he said.
Nunnery also reported that Zachary has been approved for an $800,000 capital water project north of Northwestern Middle School. The funding through the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program would allow the city to improve and replace faulty water lines.
According to a written statement by the mayor, the city expects a moderate budget increase. “The fund balance should remain over $5 million. Recurring revenues will continue to exceed recurring expenses,” the report said.
Although the cost of salaries and benefits for city employees will rise during the coming year, the city will try to tamp down the effects of these costs on the budget. “Every effort will be made to lessen any impact on employees,” the report said.
Other matters before the council included:
TRAFFIC SAFETY: The council unanimously agreed to designate the Zachary Historic Village as a “pedestrian zone.” Virginia Street and the first block and a half of Florida Street will have a speed limit of 10 miles per hour. A four-way stop will be installed at Florida and Virginia streets. Removable barriers will be used to block the street during events.
“We have a lot of people who already think of it as a pedestrian area,” council secretary and Historic Village Director Jean Byers told the council. “We try to block the street during the Saturday market, and cars don’t stop or slow down.”
Byers said during the summer, many children and families visit the historic area. “We are making the area prettier, too,” she said.
“People come and take pictures.”
BID APPROVALS: The council voted unanimously to accept two bids for projects in the city.
Industrial Enterprises submitted a $808,374 bid to conduct a road rehabilitation project, officials said.
The council accepted Grady Crawford’s $1.2 million bid for sewer collection systems improvements. The funds for the sewer project would come from $9.3 million the city borrowed from the state Department of Environmental Quality and that bid is subject to the agency’s approval.