Wednesday, September 22, 2010

It’s just a plan, not a decree to spend

Only $9.7 million of Ketchum’s $32 million of capital projects


By TREVON MILLIARD
Express Staff Writer

The Atkinson Park tennis courts are scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt in 2013-2014 using $150,000 of $500,000 that Warm Springs Ranch Resort’s developers donated. This is just a small part of Kechum’s $9.7 million in capital projects pledged to occur within the next five years. Photo by David N. Seelig

Ketchum will, for certain, be taking on only $9.7 million out of the $32 million in capital projects that the City Council recently approved for the next five years.

And none of these $9.7 million in projects will require more money from taxpayers through a bond or by increasing impact fees. Funding is already in hand, coming from existing water fees, donations, $500,000 given by Warm Springs Ranch Resort developers or existing development impact fees. Impact fees are charged to new development for its additional burdens on city services, such as increased wear to streets or more demand on the water and sewer systems.

In addition, 92 percent of the plan's guaranteed projects, or $9 million worth, will be funding improvements to either the wastewater or water system, including construction of a new well, installing meters and laying pipes for a new reuse water system to be shared with Sun Valley, which is picking up half that $100,000 bill.

The other certain projects are for parks, including construction of a miniature golf course in Atkinson Park for $45,600, connecting Warm Springs and River Run trails on Bald Mountain for $115,000, expanding Atkinson Park's playground for $50,000 and rebuilding Atkinson Park's four tennis courts for $150,000. All the funding is derived from Warm Springs Ranch Resort's $500,000 donation.

As for the plan's remaining $22.3 million of projects, they're all possibilities but require a step to be taken, which is often out of the city's control, such as taxpayers' passing a bond or the receipt of a sizable government grant. And, in some cases, the council isn't even, at this point, willing to take the next step of asking taxpayers to pass a bond. But, City Administrator Gary Marks said, these projects are included in the plan for good reason.

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The state requires cities charging impact fees to draft a "capital improvement plan" to outline needed projects to keep facilities and services up to par for its existing permanent population, 3,300 in Ketchum's case, and expected increases by five years' end. Ketchum is anticipating 7 percent population growth.

Marks said that that if a project isn't in the plan, impact-fee money can't be used to fund it if, for some reason, it's taken on within the next five years. As an example, Marks pointed to a proposed 12,000-square-foot city hall, which would replace the current 7,000-square-foot building. It would cost $3.6 million, and be funded entirely through a bond issue.

"We have to put it into the plan to leave the option," Marks said. "Just because a new city hall is in the plan doesn't mean we're getting a new city hall."

A new city hall is something Ketchum's leaders have said is needed, seeing that the current building—formerly a car dealership—has been outgrown.

"However, we're making do with it," Marks said. "We understand it's a bad economy."

Now isn't the time to ask residents to pay for building it, he said.

That also goes for a new $6.8 million fire station, which is also in the plan and would need a $4.7 million bond.

By approving the plan, the council isn't approving each project within it or spending $32 million to fund these projects. It's just a plan, and stands to change.

Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com




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