NEWBERRY — Second and final reading was passed Tuesday night of the fiscal year 2017-2018 City of Newberry budget.

The total budget for the city’s General Fund is set at $9,949,827. The budget was balanced for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1 without any increases in taxes or business license fees. However, there were incremental increases in both commercial and residential sanitation service.

City Manager Matt DeWitt said there had been no millage increase in over six years and outside of utilities, other services had held their rates flat since 2014.

Mayor Foster Senn pointed out some of the changes for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget at Tuesday night’s meeting to include the elimination of one free garbage pick-up that each commercial bin currently receives.

This means that a small business would likely see an increase of $21 to their normal monthly bill, Senn said and commercial garbage would cost $44 a month for those businesses getting one pick up each week. The proposed adjustment would yield an increase of $36,750 to general fund revenues.

The budget also includes a small incremental residential garbage fee increase of two dollars per residential service, putting the service at $12 per month for three-day per week curbside pick-up that includes residential garbage, yard debris and white goods. The city’s last increase for this service came in 2014.

By adjusting both of those garbage fees in the budget, DeWitt said it would still allow the city to be cheaper than the communities that surrounded Newberry, would help better cover the rising cost of providing the services, and allow the city to maintain a very high level of service to their customers.

Also in the budget is a cost of living increase of three percent for all city employees.

Under the Utility Fund, the total budget is set at $55,660,467. The total estimated gross revenues in the 2017-2018 fiscal year are $38,277,242 compared to $37,232,450 in fiscal year 2016-2017, representing an increase of 2.8 percent.

Retail electric base rates will remain the same again this year, Senn said. However, the city will continue to use the Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) to pass through Purchased Power Costs.

There are no increases budgeted for water rates in fiscal year 2017-18 but city staff anticipates an increase of approximately two percent in revenues due to the elimination of included gallons in the base facility charge.

Under the Utility Capital Fund, the Electric System Capital line item totaling $1,060,000 will increase by $90,000 or 9.3 percent compared to fiscal year 2016-17 due to contract labor to assist with reworking the city’s electric distribution system and continuing the build out of the city’s fiber network.

Because of the completion of the second round of the West End rehabilitation projects, the Water System Capital budget which totals $875,000 will decrease $130,000 or 12.9 percent compared to last year’s budget. According to DeWitt, only some of the curbing still needs to be completed in this second phase.

Construction continues from the 2015 bond issuance. Funding of $14,719,375 has been placed in this year’s budget to complete the city’s Water Plant rehabilitation project, continue the Scott’s Creek sewer line rehabilitation, complete various water distribution rehab projects and the construction of both a water storage tank and a second electrical substation to add increased reliability to serve customers.

“I think the fiscal year 2018 budget is one that balances the needs of our community, advances some very beneficial projects and makes the City of Newberry an even better place for employment,” DeWitt said. “I am truly appreciative of the care and time that the department heads took in assembling next fiscal year’s budget and I am excited about their focus on enhanced customer service. Of course without the guidance and support of Council none of this would be possible. I am excited to see where Newberry has come over the past several years and even more excited by the potential Newberry has moving forward.”

By Elyssa Haven

For The Newberry Observer