PITTSBORO — Pittsboro’s board of commissioners held its first budget retreat on Saturday in preparation for crafting a budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year — and potential increases to the town’s property tax rate and water and sewer rates, according to a memo from Pittsboro’s finance department.
Town officials met for most of Saturday to hear presentations from department heads about operational needs for the coming fiscal year. The departments provided updates to the board about accomplishments for the previous year and to indicate some things likely to be included in formal budget requests, which have yet to be made.
While the departments did not have information such as anticipated revenue or expenditures, the town’s finance department noted that its “biggest concern is going to be revenue/cash flow in the upcoming year,” adding that “we need to be prepared to consider an increase to the property tax rate.” In addition, the finance department’s “anticipated increases” in expenses in both the water and wastewater departments also meant that the board “needs to be prepared to consider an increase to the water and sewer rates.”
At the retreat:
• Pittsboro Fire Chief Daryl Griffin noted that his team of 24 firefighters at three stations were facing challenges of increased calls because of town growth. He also noted that recruiting firefighters was a challenge since the starting pay in Pittsboro, at about $38,000, was lower than in other areas. Cary starts at $42-44,000 with a more competitive benefits package, according to Griffin.
In addition to needing more staff, Griffin said the department needed to purchase a ladder truck. With new apartments, townhomes and commercial buildings under construction, the department will need the ladder truck to access those buildings in case of a fire. The estimated cost for the truck is $1.5 million.
“This is the biggest increase we have ever asked for,” Griffin said. “But at a point you gotta do something.”
• Police Chief Percy Crutchfield also noted that competitive compensation for police officers is also a challenge for his department as it seeks to add staff. Crutchfield said the “number, quality and diversity of applicants” are limited when there is a “shortage of police nationwide,” something he described as a “problem in the market.”
• Utility Service Director John Poteat provided an update for both the public works sectors of town government and the wastewater treatment plant. Pittsboro’s public works department has resurfaced five roads so far this year and is planning to do several more, including grading and paving East Cornwallis, which the town recently took over from the N.C. Dept. of Transportation. The department also collected 167 tons of waste and 4,000 cubic yards of leaves.
Department workers also cleaned out 20 percent of the sewerlines, with no sewer overflows, in addition to replacing several hydrants and valves in the system. They’re also working to pave the walking trail along Robeson Creek and conduct a model for the wastewater plant’s outfall there.
In addition, Pittsboro will also likely need to purchase a new water pump for the increased population in Powell Place. Poteat anticipates asking for another public works employee and a lawnmower to make more of the park management in-house rather than via contractor. He would also like to purchase mobile safety software which will be used to alert the public for emergency notifications, sewer breaks and flooding notices. The system is the same one the county uses.
Poteat noted that the town’s wastewater plant has been incurring increased fines from the state due to inflow and infiltration in the system during heavy rain events. The plant also needs two blowers to be replaced, new pumps and other required equipment that needs replaced.
• Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Adam Pickett spoke of the accomplishments and needs at the plant. For the fifth year in a row, it won the Area-Wide Optimization Program award from the EPA for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards. His team also completed numerous repairs, replacements and improvements at the plant. Pickett also noted that the equipment has been installed for the pilot study of advanced treatment options for unregulated chemicals. The equipment is not yet operating the program, but he believed the pilot study would begin within the next week or so.
Pickett said that additional equipment and repairs would be required in the upcoming year, including the repair of the Horton water tank. That project would also require the rental of equipment to maintain pressure in town as the tank is emptied for the repairs. Pickett is also hoping to get surge protection at the plant to protect the water treatment systems and lab equipment from energy surges.
• Planning Director Jeff Jones noted a consistent increase in projects over the past four years — including, but not limited to Chatham Park. Jones’ department recently lost its engineer with the resignation of Elizabeth Goodson. Victoria Bailiff, one of the town’s planners, has also submitted her resignation. All the while, the town was already seeking an environmental specialist who would focus on “stormwater management, riparian buffer protection, flood damage prevention and watershed management.” Jones said he needed to fill not only the vacant positions, but also was hoping to add more staff or get consultants to assist the department in fulfilling its duties.
The town’s wastewater treatment plant is nearing capacity as the department has been unable to secure the permits from the state that are required to construct a sewer line to Sanford. Jones noted that the wastewater plant’s nearing capacity was maybe a “blessing in disguise” that would allow the department to work on completing the Unified Development Ordinance, the Chatham Park Additional Elements, Small Area Plan and Development Agreement.
The board will meet again on March 7 at town hall for a strategic planning retreat and preliminary budget work session. That session will likely begin at 9 a.m.
Reporter Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.