Quartzsite budget workshop previews $800,000 for housing authority, flags wastewater and grant needs

At a Quartzsite town budget workshop, council members reviewed the tentative expenditures portion of the draft budget and discussed several large allocations that will return for further detail before formal adoption. Chair (S1) guided the session through departmental pages and staff highlighted three items that will affect the coming fiscal year.

Jim (S3), a town staff member, said the draft captures “at least $800,000” for the newly formed housing authority but the amount was temporarily placed in an outside‑service provider line until staff can assign the correct fund and subaccounts. He said the bulk of the money is intended for housing development and that a $35,000 housing study is already budgeted to inform how the dollars will be allocated. “We understand it's gonna be at least 800,000,” Jim said, adding that staff expect to bring more detailed recommendations in June.

The council also reviewed enterprise‑fund projections and capital requests. Staff reported projected wastewater revenues at $1.6 million and water at $1.7 million while planned wastewater expenses are shown at about $2.0 million; to address that gap the draft includes a $300,000 project‑engineering line for a Northwest Quadrant wastewater project. Public works staff (S8) described work on manhole maintenance, liner replacements and new surface treatments such as microseal, and recommended prioritizing near‑term preservation before larger reconstruction.

Grants and reserve funds were also discussed as balancing tools. The budget lists tentative HEERP revenue at roughly $1.8 million and proposed reserve use of $629,874 to help balance totals; council members debated whether large incoming grants should be recorded as earmarked or kept in a miscellaneous grants line. Staff said consultant costs tied to right‑of‑way work will be quantified before the next meeting and noted the town has active grant activity, including AZ Smart grant awards under consideration.

Why this matters: Allocating the housing authority funds and resolving the wastewater revenue/expense gap are central to the town’s capital plan and may affect tax, fee or service decisions later in the adoption cycle. Council members directed staff to return with more precise fund coding and cost models before the next formal budget vote.

Next steps: Staff will provide line‑item details and updated revenue estimates at the next budget workshop and before the tentative budget is adopted to ensure the town meets statutory adoption timelines.