Council reviews ordinance rewrite and budget materials; CIB, road funds and reimbursements discussed

Council members spent part of the March meeting reviewing progress on a multi-title update to the town code, discussing available Class C road and fire-fund balances, and receiving staff updates on grant reimbursements and the Community Impact Board (CIB) application process.

Ordinance rewrite: Staff said titles 5, 6 and 7 of the code are complete; titles 1 and 2 were in final draft and titles 8, 9 and 10 remained under review. Council members asked for more review of a 45-page draft (title 11) and several councilors requested reductions and targeted edits before adoption.

Budget and funds: The council reviewed the audit figures showing a reported fund balance in the fire fund of $64,637 and Class C road funds of $117,420. Staff noted excess revenue over expenses of $35,772 in the audit report. Councilors discussed using Class C funds for chip-and-seal or targeted road repairs.

Grants and reimbursements: Staff said they are assembling reimbursement packages for CIB and USDA grants and that some applications remain open; the CIB application link will close March 31. Staff reported coordination with the town's accounting consultant to complete reimbursement submittals and said they expected to have those filings current shortly.

Budget calendar: Council members were given a worksheet for budget planning and reminded that a public hearing on the tentative budget is scheduled for June (public hearing time listed as 6:30 p.m. at a future meeting). Staff asked council members to review department worksheet numbers so the proposed budget can be finalized for the June public hearing and the final state submission later in June.

No ordinances were adopted at the meeting; councilors asked for further review and follow-up before action.