Davidson taxpayers are in for another property tax increase this year.

For the second year in a row property taxes are going up about 6 per cent for Davidson residents. Town council passed the 6.5 per cent tax increase compared to actual taxes collected by the town last year as a means to balance the 2013 general operating budget May 10.

“When we work with the budget, we just try to balance (it) the best we can,” said Davidson Mayor Clayton Schneider. “Unfortunately nothing seems to ever get cheaper to run stuff and you’ve got to adjust accordingly.”

Council also decided to tap into reserves to balance the budget with $344,500 coming out of their rainy day fund to cover the increased spending. Redoing the roof at town hall and upgrading and patching paved roads are among the big-ticket items in the Town of Davidson’s 2013 budget.

“It just costs more and more (to run the town) all the time,” said Gary Edom, administrator for the Town of Davidson.

Edom said redoing the roof at Davidson Town Hall would cost “about $220,000” and that doesn’t include the auditorium. He said the roof at town hall is leaking.

“The auditorium roof is probably going to be put on hold until we get quotes,” he said, noting the auditorium roof has not been leaking. “We don’t know exactly, but the inspector’s estimate they gave us is quite a bit higher than the original, from what I thought I understood from them, estimate.”

The yearly expenditure of $200,000 for pavement upgrades and patching is once again part of the transportation services budget. This funding covers “patching wherever there are bad holes” and upgrades to the town’s roads.

“There are some bad streets by the car wash,” said Edom. “Something is going to have to be done by the carwash. They had a (water main) break over here on the corner of Garfield and Second that they had to dig up, so that had to be patched. Then (there are) the rest of the streets, the worst of them.”

Spending is up dramatically in the 2013 general operating budget with total expenditures hitting $2,592,500, up $465,985 from actual costs in 2012. Including the tax increase, total revenue for the town in 2013 is budgeted at $2,249,234, thus resulting in the need to transfer funds from reserves to balance the budget.

Edom said other major projects that have been budgeted for in 2013 include $44,000 for a new garbage pit, $47,000 to upgrade piping and valves in the water plant and $33,000 to inspect and repair the water tower.

“We’re going to drain it and get it inspected to see if any work needs to be done,” he said. “It keeps springing (leaks), well not very often, but occasionally a little pinhole on a welding or a joint. We just want to get it inspected and see what it’s like (and) get some idea how much life is left in it.”

After the town has an idea of what has to be done with the water tower, Edom said they would go from there. He said if they can afford to fix it this year they would, but if it is too expensive then the work would be “spread out” with some work coming next year.

To read more please see the June 17 print edition of The Davidson Leader.