Ignacio town trustees have approved the fast-track final plat for business development at the south end of town, including a Family Dollar store.
Trustees approved Richard Olguin's Rock Creek Complex on Oct. 7. They approved a preliminary plat on Aug. 19. The town has fast-tracked the project to accommodate Family Dollar. Their building foundation was already in place as of Oct. 7.
Olguin is developing the old Williams Field Services land across from the Post Office. He is subdividing the 7.29 acres into three lots and installing the access road and utilities. The Family Dollar is being built on a 0.82 acre lot.
The land is zoned for business and mixed use, town development coordiwnator Dan Naiman told trusteess. The development agreement has been signed by Fmily Dollar contractor Dave Murdoch, but the town is waiting for Olguin's attorney to review it. A cash escrow has been posted for 110 percent of the cost of putting in utilities, and there will be a two-year warranty after the town accepts those, Naiman said.
Trustees voted to approve the public improvement agreement and final plat, and to authorize staff to deal with what Interim Town Manager Mark Garcia called "a few loose ends that need to be completed."
Also on Oct. 7, trustees reviewed the latest draft of a 2016 budget.
"The budget is in better condition than before, but it still needs a lot of work," Garcia said. The first draft was $300,000 in the red, he said. "The numbers are much better, only $79,000 over budget now," he said. The final budget has to be approved in December.
Garcia showed trustees how he is changing reporting of staff salaries and benefits to make it easier to understand their total compensation. Salaries and benefits will all be paid from the general fund, and town utilities will be charged for the share of time each staff member is doing work for that department. Garcia had tallied $572,840 in salaries and benefits, not counting police. The budget lists those at $611,905.
The Oct. 7 draft shows $1.76 million in general operating revenue and $1.83 million in spending.
"Our fund balance is getting too low to cover the difference," Garcia said. "This budget doesn't reflect any salary increases. If you want those, you'll have to find the money."
He listed an ending fund balance for 2014 of $350,217. The 2015 budget projects an end-of-year fund balance of $321,257. The Oct. 7 budget draft shows that drawn down to $249,278 at the end of 2016.
"We are still working on the water and sewer fund balances," Garcia said.
