$50,000 of ‘windfall’ for greenbelt

By Diane Chiddister

At a four-and-a-half-hour special budget/goal meeting Saturday, Feb. 16, Village Council members voted to commit $50,000 of the Village’s 2007 one-time unexpected revenues of $255,000 to the Village greenbelt fund. The motion passed 3–2, with two Council members voting against it because they favored a higher Village contribution to the fund.

Kathryn Van der Heiden, Karen Wintrow and John Booth voted for the action, while Judith Hempfling and Lori Askeland voted against it.

suggested ‘windfall’ use At the Feb. 16 Village Council budget/goals meeting, Village Manager Eric Swansen made the following recommendations for the use of the 2007 $255,000 one-time revenues, along with a portion of the 2007 budget surplus, for a total of $427,300 in 2008 expenditures: Village Web site update: $15,000 Visioning process: $50,000 Change in zoning code revisions after visioning process: $25,000 Retail market analysis: $6,000 Sutton Farm: $5,000 Village telephone upgrade: $5,000 Local match for Northern Gateway project: $30,000 ADA sidewalk ramps: $50,600 Bryan Center HVAC upgrade: $45,000 Downtown streetscaping redesign: $25,000 Train station painting: $8,500 Bryan Center parking lot resurfacing: $15,000 Used street sweeper: $29,000 Bryan Center chairs and tables: $3,000 Parks lift truck: $12,500 Replacement dump truck: $24,700 New bleachers: $5,000 PC upgrades: $13,000 Greenspace fund: $35,000

The meeting was Council’s first discussion of the 2008 Village general fund. Because the Village had the $255,000 in one-time revenues, which came from estate taxes, Council members had planned on Saturday to discuss using some of that amount for discretionary spending to pursue 2008 Village goals. However, a lack of clarity around 2008 operating expenses led Council members to postpone making more decisions about the one-time revenues.

Council will next discuss the allocations for one-time revenues at the first reading of the 2008 Village budget, which will take place Monday, March 17. The second, or final reading of the budget, will take place at Council’s regular meeting on Monday, March 31.

Wintrow and Van der Heiden stated that Council needed to postpone making a decision on the greenbelt fund or any decisions on the one-time revenues due to a lack of clarity on 2008 operating expenses that emerged in the second part of the meeting. Council President Hempfling disagreed, stating that Council has discussed the need to replenish the greenbelt fund long enough, and should move forward. In response, Van der Heiden moved that Council put $50,000 in the greenbelt fund, and the motion passed. Askeland had previously suggested that Council commit $125,000 to the fund.

At issue during a sometimes heated discussion was the significance of the greenbelt to Yellow Springs. Two villagers who spoke urged Council to consider greenbelt allocations only after Village operational items were addressed, while four other speakers expressed support for Askeland’s request.

The greenbelt is “part of our identity as a village,” said Kathleen Boutis. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

While “everyone wants a greenbelt,” committing money to the greenbelt before understanding the Village’s operational needs would be like “getting a paycheck and spending it on dancing and parties. We need to focus on what’s necessary,” Jean Payne said.

But the greenbelt is not a frivolous need nor like having a party, according to Askeland.

“It’s part of our core, more like investing in a home, an investment in the future,” she said.

Tecumseh Land Trust Executive Director Krista Magaw had encouraged Council to commit at least $100,000 to the greenbelt fund at this time, with a commitment to adding $50,000 yearly until the fund reached its pre-Whitehall Farm level of about $350,000. In ongoing negotiations with Jacoby greenbelt landowners, TLT has found that several will be ready to sell in the next few years, and she cautioned that the Village must be ready with adequate greenbelt fund revenues when that happens. Currently, the greenbelt fund has about $87,000.

In response to a question from Askeland about his recommendations for the onetime revenues, Village Manager Eric Swansen presented a long list of items that included a visioning process, estimated to cost $50,000. (See sidebar above)

However, the total amount for the list Swansen presented added up to about $427,000, which added to Council members’ confusion. That amount is the sum of the onetime revenues of $255,000 plus the bulk of the surplus from last year’s budget, according to Swansen. However, while the 2007 budget had a $532,000 surplus due to “tight budgeting,” according to Swansen, the 2008 budget anticipates a deficit of about $425,000 due to an anticipated decline in income tax and property tax revenues. Consequently, the suggestions for use of the onetime 2007 funds included many onetime operational items that could not be purchased within the confines of the 2008 budget, he said.

At that point, Wintrow and Van der Heiden stated they could not move ahead without looking more closely at the Village’s operational needs in 2008. Hempfling stated that she was distressed that Council had not received the complete budget information in a more timely way.

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com