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The Holland Town Board approved its 2010 budget last week, including a tax levy of $395,000. The levy total marks an increase of $10,000 over the previous budget.
The budget was adopted unanimously with all board members present except Kathy Dummer who was excused.
“(That) is about at our limit,” said Town Chairman George Hammes regarding the levy.
Total spending was estimated in the budget at $901,533 compared with $915,029 in 2009. Holland was faced with a loss of a little more than $10,000 in state shared revenue alone.
The special meeting held to approve the budget was not attended by town residents. Supervisors also approved $151,000 in 2010 highway expenditures, a formality required by state statute.
Town Clerk Marilyn Padretti said additional information was needed before the town could establish the tax rate.
Board members also discussed their compensation at the meeting.
“As far as I’m concerned they’re fine where they are,” Hammes said of the board salaries.
The matter failed to draw a motion, meaning board salaries will remain unchanged.
Very little changed in the 2010 budget, compared with 2009. Parks spending is up from $6,000 to $16,000. Like every other municipality, Holland was forced to guess at what it would be spending on fuel for the upcoming year, moving that figure down $5,000 next year to $15,000 hoping for cheaper fuel to hold out.
A last-minute plea for cash from YMCA arts and humanities director Tammy Addleman bore no fruit.
Addleman highlighted a number of the programs and activities the YMCA offers to area youths and requested that the town restore the $4,000 in funding it once gave. She said between 70 and 100 children, some from Holland, participate in the gymnastics program at Holmen Middle School, one of the programs the YMCA offers.
“If you can’t restore the $4,000 ... if there could be at least a partial amount restored,” she said.
Supervisor Dave Bentzen seemed to be swayed.
“I have to agree that we should probably think about the YMCA for something,” he said. “They do a lot of good for the kids. I realize we are tight, things are what they are.”
Hammes noted that, for legal reasons, if the board wishes to pay the YMCA for services, it would have be done through a contract for service rather than a donation.
“If we do anything it has to be a contract agreement,” Hammes said. “We provide help, a space here for programs if they want to use it. If you want to find a way in there to contract for service, you’ll have to find somewhere (in the budget) to take it out of.”
Supervisor Dave Carlson moved to approve the budget, without any adjust for the YMCA. That motion passed unanimously.
In other action, the board approved getting some outside help hauling sand during busy times in the winter.
Sandbox Express will help the town in hauling sand from the county site to the town site at the discretion of town shop supervisor Jim Peterson and only to avoid overtime.
Supervisor Scott Lien has argued that it would be cheaper to have an outside hauler carry sand to the town during busy times and inclement weather, rather than pay town employees overtime. Hammes has argued that there aren’t many occasions in the winter when town employees are too busy to drive to get sand and overtime is rarely needed.
“I’d like to still see us move forward with some hauling in our busy season,” Lien said. “It’s a busier time of year, at $45, that’s cheaper than I expected anyone to come in.”
Sandbox Express was one of two businesses or operators to show interest in hauling for the town. The other unnamed business required 48 hours notice before hauling, whereas Sandbox Express needed only two hours notice.
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