Winfield?s property tax levy will rise by a penny

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

WINFIELD ? Property taxes will remain near the fiscal 2016 levy for the fiscal 2017 budget, according to a budget estimate passed by the Winfield City Council Monday night.

The council hosted a budget hearing, and having received no written or oral comments, the budget was passed. The budget calls for $1,576,413 in expenditures during fiscal 2017. The budget will be supported by a $10.540 property tax levy per $1,000 taxable valuation, or just a penny increase over the fiscal 2016 property tax levy of $10.529.

Estimated revenue in fiscal 2017 is $1,536,831, meaning the budget shows expenditures exceeding revenue by $39,582. The beginning fund balance on July 1, 2016, will be $1,196,811, and the balance at the end of fiscal 2017, June 30, 2017, is projected at $1,157,229.

The budget calls for property tax revenue of $217,483 in fiscal 2017, an increase of nearly $17,000 from fiscal 2016?s tax revenue of $200,973. Most of the increase is due to a rise in property valuation.

Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee made his annual visit to the council to report on 2016 activity at the sheriff?s office. McNamee said during 2015, the sheriff?s office received approximately 51,898 phone calls with 5,494 of those calls being 911 calls. The call volume per day was 142 calls.

Calls for service generated for all of Henry County was 22,308. The Winfield Police Department handled 245 calls, while the sheriff?s office took care of 168 calls for the Winfield area. Another 122 calls were for Winfield fire and rescue. McNamee said county deputies spent 181 hours during the year in patrolling Winfield.

?We have a great working relationship with the Winfield Police Department,? McNamee remarked.

Turning his attention to the Henry County Jail, the sheriff said the average daily population at the eight-bed jail in 2015 was 20.5 inmates per day. Housing costs for inmates in other counties has cost the county $1,363,553 from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2015, McNamee noted.

He said he has some significant concerns about marijuana use in the county ?because marijuana use leads to other serious problems. The states which have legalized pot have a lot of problems with people driving high.?

In other council business, Troy Van Beek, of Ideal Energy, of Fairfield, gave a presentation to the council on solar energy. Mayor Chris Finnell had heard the presentation during a Winfield Fire Department meeting and invited Van Beek to speak to the council.

Van Beek said the city has two buildings and a plant ? city hall and the fire department/library and water plant ? suitable to convert to solar energy.

?They all look pretty good,? Van Beek said. ?We can do the first three (buildings) at nominal cost. It would be a great opportunity, setting the path for Winfield to move forward with this, which would set things in motion in your community going solar.?

Van Beek did not give any cost estimates for solar panels to be attached to city owned-building and the water plant.

During his presentation, Van Beek showed a video on Steffensmeier Welding and Manufacturing of Pilot Grove, which recently converted to solar energy. Van Beek said the solar system at Steffensmeier will have a five to six-year payback, and the company will save $2.5 million in energy costs over 25 years.

Giving a brief history of Ideal Energy, Van Beek said he and his wife started the company began in 2009 ?and has been growing every since.? The company now employees 36 people.

?You do have a unique opportunity to make an impact,? Van Beek told the council.

Mayor Finnell termed solar energy ?an interesting concept.?

In his comments, Finnell told the council that he has organized a steering committee to study repair and maintenance needs at the city swimming pool. ?We want to find out how much it is going to cost, so we can start writing some grants.?

Winfield?s City Council will meet again on Monday, April 11, at 5 p.m., at City Hall.