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South Hill council reviews FY2025–26 budget; staff cite insurance, wages and park needs
Summary
At a March 17 work session, the South Hill Town Council reviewed the proposed FY2025–26 budget and discussed rising health insurance premiums, planned annual wage increases, a request for a full‑time IT position, enforcement for dilapidated properties, and park lighting and equipment upgrades; staff were assigned follow-ups and no votes were taken.
Mayor Mike Moody called the South Hill Town Council work session to order at 3:00 p.m. on March 17, 2025, at the Town Hall temporary location to review the proposed FY2025–26 budget. Town Clerk Leanne Patrick recorded the minutes.
Council and staff identified several budget pressures and proposed additions that will inform upcoming budget deliberations. Dahlis Morrow, director of finance and administration, told the council staff are anticipating an increase in health insurance premiums for the coming fiscal year, which she described as a key driver of cost pressure. Council members and staff discussed planned annual wage increases for town employees and noted those increases will need to be balanced with revenue and benefit cost changes.
Town Manager Keli Reekes raised a proposal to add a full‑time information technology professional to support town systems and said staff will provide further detail and justification for the new position in later budget materials. Jason Houchins, parks, facilities and grounds superintendent, outlined continued improvements for Centennial and Parker Parks that include added lighting, fencing, and equipment upgrades; councilors requested more information on lighting specifications and expected costs.
Code Compliance Official David Hash urged clearer mechanisms to hold owners of dilapidated buildings accountable for timely repairs and asked staff to research the Town’s legal authority to enforce penalties or compel improvements. In response, staff were asked to provide the requested legal research and related options.
As follow-up, staff will: (1) research the Town’s authority and options for enforcing penalties on owners of dilapidated properties, (2) provide additional details and cost estimates for proposed lighting at Centennial and Parker Parks, and (3) revisit the FY2024–25 budget to determine whether leftover funds could cover equipment requests from Parks, Facilities and Grounds. No public comment was received and the council took no formal votes during the session.
The work session adjourned at 4:26 p.m. The minutes were validated on April 14, 2025. The council will consider the information reviewed at future budget meetings when making formal budget decisions.
