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Bicknell council surveys capital balances; discusses mower, pumps, playground grant match and CDBG greenhouse award
Summary
Council reviewed town cash balances and discussed buying a lawnmower from capital projects funds, pump replacements and rotations, the fire truck tank repair, a CDBG grant award for a greenhouse, and a potential playground grant match.
Council members reviewed cash balances across town accounts and discussed several capital purchases and grant opportunities during the work meeting.
Finance snapshot: Staff presented uncommitted cash balances the council can consider for capital purchases: general fund $224,828; class C roads $204,000; capital projects $214,000; water fund $234,000; irrigation fund $60,000. The presenter said the combined, uncommitted total is close to $940,000.
Equipment and pumps: Council members discussed buying a new lawn mower (the presenter recommended using capital-project funds) and a plan to rotate and rebuild water pumps. A new pump has arrived and the town plans to bring an older pump home from Salt Lake for rebuilding so the town maintains two pumps and does remodels on a two-year cycle. The council also discussed whether to wait for failure or set aside money now, with one suggestion to budget $10,000 per year across two years toward a mower.
Fire truck and wellhouse: Members discussed repairing the tank on an older truck used for community events and a separate firehouse building on the town's CIB wish list for rewiring and remodeling. The council also noted the well house repair would have to be completed before pursuing certain grants.
Grants and park needs: Council members reported receiving notification that award letters for a greenhouse funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) were issued. Members also discussed applying for a playground grant with a possible maximum award of $250,000 and a 20% required local match; the council noted the capital projects fund could supply part of the match.
Maintenance and landscaping: The meeting also covered lawn maintenance at town properties. Members reported a commercial vendor quoted $4,000 to spray fungus and weeds; several council members said they could do smaller or targeted spraying in-house and planned to ask the contractor for the chemical mixture to determine whether the town could perform the work at lower cost.
Next steps: The council suggested committing capital-project funds to prioritized purchases (mower, pump maintenance, playground match) and directed staff to include equipment items in the tentative budget and to continue pursuing CIB and grant applications.
