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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2005 City budget: the ‘if’ factor By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Hearings begin Tuesday in Medford for a biennial city budget that includes a new McAndrews Road bridge over Bear Creek and ball fields for the budding sports park but keeps spending constant with the current $234 million budget. Just because it appears in the budget doesn’t mean it gets done, however. Those ball fields depend on a new city tax being passed and the stratospheric price of oil could delay some planned public works projects. Among the biggest of the big-ticket items in the budget is the $7.6 million McAndrews bridge project, paid for with Oregon Transportation Investment Act III (OTIA III) dollars designated for bridge repairs. The new supports will be built this summer and the bridge is scheduled for completion by November 2006. Also in the budget is $6 million for a pilot project to spray the city’s treated sewer water on local crops. The project originally was scheduled to be under way by the time irrigation season began this year. "It has been postponed until fiscal year 2006-07," said Jim Hill, water reclamation administrator for Medford public works. The delay resulted because of changes in county land-use permits and because the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality hasn’t completed a required analysis. Advertisement Public works also has budgeted $4.1 million to build sidewalks on routes to local schools. The projects will be funded mostly by a $4.6 million bond approved by Medford voters in November. Cory Crebbin, public works director, said the first sidewalks will be laid on Plum and Withington streets near Washington Elementary School. Construction could begin in May or June. One item not budgeted is the skyrocketing price of petroleum-based products. Crebbin said public works is dependent on oil, not just for running engines but because they rely on oil-based products like asphalt and PVC pipe. "Our operation costs are very oil-price sensitive," he said. High material costs could mean some projects get put off a couple years. Public Works also has budgeted for six new full-time staff positions: a sidewalk construction inspector, a development services manager, two public works technicians and two operators at the wastewater treatment plant. Crebbin said Medford has seen a 10.8 percent increase in miles of storm drain, 7.8 percent increase in sewage treated and 5.2 percent increase in street miles. The department is understaffed, he said. Public Works isn’t the only department with expensive projects planned. Brian Sjothun, city parks and recreation director, said the Medford Sports Park softball/baseball complex has projects totaling $4.2 million in the next two years. There’s also $1.5 million allotted to build a new gym at the Santo Community Center. Sjothun said construction depends on the city issuing $5.3 million in bonds that would be repaid through a proposed city tax on car rentals. "If that doesn’t come through, then we just don’t spend that money," said Sjothun. Alison Chan, city finance director, said the greatest difficulty lies in paying the retirement of city employees. "There’s so many unknown PERS issues," she said of the Public Employees Retirement System that has been plagued in recent years with massive shortfalls due to losses in the stock market. City officials learned recently that the current PERS contribution rate for Medford has gone from 5.4 percent of payroll to 10.28 percent — that’s an additional $2 million over the next two years. She said much of that money will come from the city’s contingency fund — an emergency account that has the equivalent of what it costs to run the city for three months. But they’ll decrease that to a two-month reserve, she said, and use the $2.9 million withdrawal to cover the increases in PERS and other items. Medford budget hearings The city of Medford is scheduled to hold a series of four public budget committee hearings beginning 7 p.m. Tuesday. The hearings allow the city’s department heads to outline their proposed spending for the next two year. Meetings also are scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 3, May 10 and May 17. All meetings will be in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St., Medford. For more information, contact the city manager’s office at 774-2000. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s