Cloverdale takes closer look at its budget

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Town Council conducted a special meeting Wednesday evening to discuss the upcoming budget as well as hiring a financial adviser.

The council spent a significant amount of time going through each line item of the budget. In the past, the clerk-treasurer has worked up a budget for the amount that was spent in the previous year and came before the council with a new projection for the next year.

"I wanted to make sure these numbers were correct so we are not negative at the end of the year," Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Galloway said of the budget.

The council reviewed the budget, which was created by Galloway, line by line, making sure each number was correctly projected. It was during this process however, that the council discovered a major shortfall of $46,251 in the Motor Vehicle Highway (MVH) fund.

"I made a mistake when went in and did 201 (MVH fund)," Galloway explained. "I lost about $47,000. We don't have enough money to pay the utilities for the north barn and that should come out of the 201."

In order to afford to pay the utilities on the barn as well as insurance costs, Galloway allotted the town $46,251.

She then explained to the council that the original advertised budget estimate total was $950,061, which will now come to $996,312.

The council decided to divide the $46,251 within the MVH fund by putting $24,568 in the salaries and wages for the utility manager and laborers and the remaining amount of $21,683 into miscellaneous for operating supplies.

"That way if you need some salt, asphalt, stone or gasoline, put it in miscellaneous that way they could move it to whatever they want," council member Dennis Padgett said.

Galloway informed the board that before publishing the new proposed budget, she will go through everything again to make sure all the numbers are correct.

The council also addressed the lingering issue of hiring a financial adviser. The council had been discussing the issue for the past several months, in hopes of hiring someone to get the town back on track.

"I like the idea (of hiring an adviser) because I'd feel more secure," council member Coweta Patton said. "If we had some of this information we wouldn't have gotten in the trouble that we've gotten into. I'm for it."

Cloverdale Town Council President Don Sublett informed the board that after receiving a sample strategy plan and analysis from Jim Peters, which dates back three years as well as three years into the future the cost would be nearly $12,000.

After a brief discussion, all council members agreed that it was a great idea for the town, but were unsure about the cost and from where that money would come.

The matter was once again tabled until Galloway could do more research to see if the town would be able to afford it.

The council also introduced Ordinance 2013-7, which further establishes school-zone speed limits as recommended by Cloverdale Town Marshal Michael Clark.

The new ordinance states that the school-zone speed limit will be enforced between the times of 7-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m. rather than the standard "whenever children are present."