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Pickens council applies unexpected funds to one-time projects, debates 3% COLA
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Summary
At an April 13 budget work session, Pickens officials agreed to use newly received nonrecurring money to start one-time capital projects including fuel tanks and a baseball field, debated a recurring 3% cost-of-living increase and left a $50,000 fire-station study unresolved after a tie vote.
The City of Pickens council met April 13 for a budget work session to decide how to use roughly $418,000 in unexpected revenue (plus additional FEMA/ISCIRA funds), with staff proposing the money be applied to one-time capital needs and council weighing whether to fund a recurring 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
Administrator Tim told the council the city had been “graced with nonrecurring revenue” and proposed moving projects that total roughly $500,000 into the current fiscal year so they could be completed sooner. He listed a fire-station siting study, repairs to the SCADA water-control system, fuel-storage and dispensing tanks and a new baseball field as priority projects. “If we have been graced with nonrecurring revenue, 1 time money that we happily have gotten, that should be applied to 1 time expenses,” Tim said.
Council members split on whether to amend the current budget or delay work into the new fiscal year beginning July 1. Several councillors stressed the importance of the COLA. Tim said the updated budget version includes a 3% COLA and that the added one-time revenue makes the COLA “solved, period.” One councillor warned that a COLA is a continuing cost and cautioned against funding it with one-time funds.
On project specifics, council discussed SCADA upgrades after a site tour found programmable logic controllers installed at pump stations but lacking the network connectivity to automate them. Trey, a utilities staff member who participated in the tour, described tanks overflowing and the need to run pumps manually, noting that automation would reduce operational losses.
Councilman Rogers moved to direct staff to proceed with both the fuel-storage tanks and the baseball-field construction; that initial combined motion tied 3–3 and did not carry. A revised motion to fund the two projects using available current-year line items was moved and seconded, and the mayor recorded five raised hands in favor during the roll-call-style count, after which council instructed staff to begin those two projects.
Council also considered a motion to allocate $50,000 for a fire-department siting study and discussed using FEMA funds as the source. The clerk read the motion as from Councilman Wilson, seconded by Councilman Rogers; when tallied the vote was recorded as a 3–3 tie during the meeting, leaving that item unresolved at that moment.
Other operational items discussed included a proposed $150 monthly stipend for the municipal judge’s mileage and system maintenance questions for the recreation center and parking projects. Council asked staff to circulate a clarified project list and updated budget figures by the next meeting so members could review estimates before final votes.
The council recessed and later adjourned with next business scheduled for 06:00.
What happens next: staff will provide an updated budget document that incorporates the council-approved project directs and COLA modeling at several percentage increments (1%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%) for further council consideration.
