It's budget time in Sun Valley and once again the City Council is faced with the tough decisions of where to direct its taxpayers' money.
Before making any official decision, however, the council invited three separate organizations to pitch their services in a quest for continued funding.
At a council budget workshop on Tuesday, representatives from the Blaine County Housing Authority, Ketchum Parks and Recreation Department and Mountain Rides were on hand to seek funding from the city.
As with the 2007-2008 budget, the housing authority requested $35,000 to continue working on the challenge of providing affordable housing in the Wood River Valley.
"You have to ask yourselves if the city could provide the same level of service on its own for less," said Jim Fackrell, executive director of the housing authority.
While the council and mayor expressed support of the housing authority's goals, some reservations were voiced.
"Sun Valley property tax comprises of around 20 percent of the Blaine County budget, which should be taken into account when looking at the county's contribution," Mayor Wayne Willich said.
Willich said he is uncomfortable with organizations that provide countywide programs, as the communities in Blaine County are diverse.
"The needs in Sun Valley are going to be very different than those of Carey," Willich said during a break in the meeting. "We need specific programs for specific places."
Willich made a similar comment regarding the city's portion of the county budget when discussing possible funding for Mountain Rides.
While the non-profit alternative transportation organization is requesting between $388,000 and $438,000, it's also asking for $150,000 from Blaine County. This past fiscal year, Sun Valley contributed $380,000.
Although the amount has yet to be decided, Mayor Willich was extremely enthusiastic about the possible addition of new 16-passenger "Sprinter" buses to the Mountain Rides fleet. These buses would provide an alternative to the larger, older buses currently in circulation.
Mountain Rides representative Gene Daniels said that to accomplish this, the organization would ask the city to purchase two new buses, approximately $75,000 each, then lease them back to Mountain Rides.
"No matter what we do, we need to create a reliable system year round," said Councilman Nils Ribi. "This will help get committed ridership."
The proposal put forth by Ketchum Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Mason received the least amount of concern, as he was able to clearly tie his $30,000 contract for services request to the number of children who take part in the programs.
This is the same amount that the city has contributed over the last two fiscal years to the department, which provides active youth recreation programs year round.
The council will hold another budget workshop next Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
