Trenton Park Board approves deficit budget

Moberly Park Trenton Missouri
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The Trenton Park Board approved a deficit budget for 2022-2023 on March 9th. The budget was approved with an amendment to the petroleum products cost. The cost of petroleum products was originally budgeted for the same price as the current year at $6,500, but it was increased by 50% to $9,750 due to the recently increased prices of petroleum.

The 2022-2023 budget includes total anticipated expenditures of $579,099.31 and total expected revenues of $538,600. The projected deficit is $40,499.31.

The anticipated expenditures for 2022-2023 increased $7,585.76 from the current park budget. Expected revenues increased $9,000 from the current budget.

Park Board President Curtis Crawford said that on most expenses, about the same amount was budgeted for 2022-2023 as for the current budget. Other than the increase in the cost of petroleum products, projected expenses include $80,00 for labor, which is up $3,000 from the current budget. Health insurance is budgeted at $17,520, which is an increase of $65. Crawford said it was amazing the increase in health insurance cost was less than $100.

Capital projects are budgeted at $50,700. That is down $7,299 from the current budget. Projects are planned at the Rock Barn as well as Moberly, Gladeys Grimes, Van Meter, and Eastside parks.

The work at the Rock Barn and Van Meter Park includes sign replacement. Park Superintendent David Shockley reported no bids were received for sign replacement, but he reached out to Gary Sharp who was supposed to get information to Shockley.

Shockley estimated the cost for the sign at the entrance of the Rock Barn would be $8,000 and the sign at Van Meter Park at $5,000. He noted he anticipates the sign at the Rock Barn to be bigger.

Sign bids were due February 25th. The Park Board accepted a bid from Sharp last year to replace the sign at Eastside Park.

Crawford noted some projects budgeted for last year were not completed, but he plans for them to be completed this year.

Pool expenses budgeted total $282,013.31. Those expenses include $34,000 for utilities, which is up $7,000. Other pool expenses include $8,000 for concessions, which is up $1,500, and $18,000 for supplies, which is an increase of $500. The amount budgeted for the aquatic center payment increased by $619.31 to $145,873.31.

Anticipated revenues for 2022-2023 include $360,000 from sales tax which is an increase of $10,000 and $92,000 from ad valorem taxes an increase f $1000.  The revenue amount budgeted from pool receipts is $54,000, which is down by $2,000. Other anticipated revenues are budgeted for the same amount as the current budget, including $3,000 from ballpark user fees, $2,500 from Rock Barn rent, $2,400 from shelter house rent, $3,500 from interest income, $1,000 from the Moberly tennis courts, $9,200 from ball field concessions, and $11,000 from pool concessions.

Crawford noted that, even though the budget has a projected deficit, the park department has been frugal with spending. The fund balance as of February 8th was $472,931.22.  The park budget will go into effect May 1st.

Park Board Member Gary Schuett reported the Grounds Committee is doing preliminary work to try to combat vandalism in the parks. He said he feels cameras placed in different locations would be a good deterrent.  Crawford said there would need to be research into the legalities of cameras in public places.

Schuett would also like to set up a fund through Green Hills Rural Development Incorporated to provide rewards to people who turn in others who have committed vandalism, and the vandals are arrested and convicted. Green Hills Rural Development would hold the money, and the fund would be privately funded.

Shockley reported the park department repainted the halfpipe at the skate park because the feature had been vandalized and had Sharpie marker on it. The park department plans to repaint more of the skate park this summer.

Shockley said batting cage nets have been installed at the softball fields.

The Ebbe bathroom has been reopened for softball, and it has heaters. Shockley plans to open the other bathrooms once the weather cooperates.

The process has begun of getting leaves out of the fences and in areas in the parks. Shockley reported that work on Griffin and Johnson fields is finished.

Shockley and Assistant Park Superintendent Hunter Trask attended a Missouri Parks and Recreation Conference last week. They heard about multiple topics pertaining to parks and recreation, and they plan to incorporate what they learned into the Trenton park system.


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Jennifer Thies

https://www.kttn.com/

Jennifer’s interest in radio began at a young age. She started as a news reporter at KTTN in January 2017, but previously worked almost a year and a half as an on-air announcer and with news at the NPR affiliate KXCV/KRNW, which serves Northwest Missouri. Jennifer was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Media: Broadcast Production with an Emphasis in Audio Production from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville.

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