City gives up full-time rec director for 4th officer

MARENGO — A full-time recreation director will not make the fiscal year 2025 budget; the Marengo City Council would rather fund four police officers.

The city had considered hiring a full-time recreation director rather than continuing with a part-time director. In September, the council debated a job description for one, put forth by City Administrator Karla Marck.

But during a budget discussion Oct. 25, Marengo Financial Manager Ellen O’Rourke said the city doesn’t have the money for a full-time director if it wants to keep four police officers. The city would be $80,000 in the red.

If the city continues to have a part-time recreation director, the city will face a $44,000 deficit, which O’Rourke said she can make it up.

If the city hires a full-time director and eliminates one police officer, the budget deficit would be only $16,000.

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“We definitely need to keep four police officers,” said Councilwoman Sue Peterson.

Marck said the city can restructure and have a part-time director report to the city rather than to Marengo Recreation Commission and keep Marengo Recreation Commission in an advisory capacity.

Councilman John Hinshaw agreed that the city needs four police officers, but he was displeased that the city asked residents for a franchise fee to pay for a full-time recreation director and is now going to use that money to pay for an officer.

The city had budgeted for only 3 ½ officers, said O’Rourke. It needs to pay for the other half officer.

Perhaps the city should reduce the franchise fee if it isn’t going to use it for the prescribed purpose, Hinshaw said.

The franchise fee brings in $40,000, according to O’Rourke. “If we reduce it, we’ll have only three cops.” The city will have to use franchise fee funds to cover police costs, she said.

The library and the police department both had carry-over money from the previous fiscal year, said O’Rourke. That money will help reduce the $44,000 budget deficit.

The parks grounds maintenance budget can be reduced from $6,000 to $4,000 because the tree cutting project is finished, O’Rourke said. The city had to remove about 30 trees before of borers, Public Works Director Lonnie Altenhofen.

Public Works

The council again debated designating funds for smaller public works projects.

O’Rourke explained that after routine expenses — maintenance, filters, meter replacements — and $60,000 for replacement of four-inch water mains, “our funding is really used up.”

Public works has no funds for infrastructure projects.

Instead of trying to save local option sales tax money for larger projects, it could give $100,000 of the approximately $330,000 that comes in annually to the public works budget for projects.

“It’s the only discretionary fund we have,” said Marck.

The city would then consider bonding for larger projects when bonding is again an option in a couple of years.

Altenhofen gave the council a list of projects he’d complete if the council will budget the money to do them. He has 70 blocks of four-inch water mains to replace, and he’d like to complete some street overlays, which cost about $30,000, he said.

Schlabach disputed that an overlay can be done for $30,000.

“I’ve been here for five years now” said Marck, and the city has made progress on the four-inch mains only because of the ARPA money. The council can’t expect public works to keep infrastructure in good shape if the city doesn’t give him money for projects.

Marck wanted to add about $100,00 to the public works budget for projects the council thinks are priorities. She said the city doesn’t have to decide on those projects right now but should budget for them.

That confused Councilman Travis Schlabach and Mayor Adam Rabe. If the council isn’t picking projects now, what is it deciding?

The biggest decision is if the council wants to spend money on smaller projects or save it for larger ones, said O’Rourke. “If you don’t want to bond for big curb and gutter, you have to use LOST (local option sales tax).”

Bill Kreis, Peterson and Hinshaw all said they want to complete smaller projects. Tavis Schlabach said the council should designate the money for capital projects and decide the projects in the future. That would give the council more flexibility.

“And we need to plan for those projects and be prepared to bond,” said Marck

By the time bonding becomes available to the city again in five years, the city will be wanting an addition to the fire station, said Schlabach. He prefers having a capital improvement fund with each project as a line item.

Marck said that giving public works $100,00 for projects is the same as putting money in that budget for seal coating “We give him $60,000 for seal coat.”

Public works needs to know what projects they have to do every construction season, said Marck. They need the money budgeted for that.

“I’d rather get something done year to year,” said Hinshaw. He’s not in public works. He puts his trust in Altenhofen. Give him the money for projects.

Public works will still have to go through the bidding process and the city council will still have control, Altenhofen said.