May 2, 2024 |
Photo – Washington Park in Rawlins – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Rawlins city government must find ways to reduce the money spent on buildings and grounds, according to City Manager Tom Sarvey.
On April 18th, the Rawlins city council met with Sarvey to review the preliminary draft of the 2024-25 budget. During the meeting, Sarvey presented the council with a profit and loss statement for the Rawlins Family Recreation Center and Rochelle Ranch Golf Course. Sarvey said in the upcoming fiscal year, the city is projected to spend $1,469,728 to keep the rec center and golf course operational.
Two days earlier, at the April 16th regular city council meeting, the Rawlins government approved a 10% increase to all fees at the golf course. Back at the April 18th meeting, City Manager Sarvey said even with the rate hikes, the golf course is still set to lose $500,000 a year.
Sarvey said his preliminary budget sets aside $539,210 to maintain the nine parks and recreation facilities, including Bolton Park and the splash pad at Depot Park. Mayor Terry Weickum asked Sarvey for ways to reduce the parks and green spaces budget. The city manager suggested the council speak with department heads to find way to spend less money on supplies.
Sarvey said Rawlins spends twice as much money on building maintenance as other similarly sized cities in the state. The city manager said Community Development Director Lou Lascano told him that even with the large budget, he is still having trouble maintaining the city-owned structures. Sarvey said Rawlins spends so much on maintenance because the city owns more buildings than other municipalities.
Sarvey suggested the city eventually build a larger facility to house all the departments. The city manager said relocating everything under one roof will save the city considerable amounts of money.
Mayor Weickum said he expects the city to receive a substantial amount of impact assistance and tax money from a proposed wind farm. The mayor said the one-time money can be used to construct a building to house all the city infrastructure.
In the meantime, Sarvey said the city must find a way to reduce the amount of money it spends on park upkeep. The city manager said the parks are too expensive to maintain in their current state.
Mayor Weickum said grant money is often used to build the facilities, but that same money can’t be used for operation and maintenance costs. The mayor said Rawlins isn’t the only municipality struggling to pay for expensive amenities.
On April 20th, the Rawlins city council met with department heads to create a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The new budget will be read for the first time during a special meeting on May 15th. Legally, the budget must be read three times at three different public meetings before it can be adopted.
