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35 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2004 Phoenix prepares next budget By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX � The city is shaping its $5.7 million budget for next fiscal year, anticipating a 7 percent reduction from last year. The decrease comes from fewer carryovers and capital improvement projects and a change in sewer services, said City Recorder Betty Smith. The next budget meeting will begin at 7 p.m. May 13 at the City Public Works office. The City Council decided last month to transfer all of its sewer services to Rogue Valley Sewer Services, formerly Bear Creek Valley Sanitary Authority. The change is expected to cost residents less per month, Smith said, but will mean a gradual increase for businesses over a three-year period and a large one-time contribution from the city. Advertisement "We will basically be giving Rogue Valley Sewer the cash that belongs currently to the sewer department, which is about $248,000," said Smith. Planned capital improvements have decreased from $1.8 million last year to a proposed $1.1 million during 2004- 2005, Smith said. Projects include $106,000 in improvements to Blue Heron Park and $175,000 in street capacity and other infrastructure improvements. Another significant budget item is $280,000 for water system improvement projects using money provided by Oregon Rural Development for the city’s participation in the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix intertie. Work is expected to continue to the Fern Valley Interchange and improvements are being planned to the downtown core. "No one major project is being financed this year," Smith said. "The budget is pretty cut and dried, just streets, utilities, the general fund, street improvements, parks � pretty typical." A committee was recently formed to determine whether the existing City Hall, which badly needs replacing, should be torn down and the property sold for the new city library, but Smith said the issue would not affect the 2004-2005 budget process. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities