The Walsenburg Treasury Office

After attending several financial committee meetings and council meetings in Walsenburg, it puzzled me that we have two financial officers.  The financial administrator is hired and given a substantial salary with benefits; and the treasurer is elected and given a very small stipend and little else as far as benefits, office, or tools. The last time I asked, the elected treasurer had no online access to the bank accounts.

The Treasurer of Walsenburg pledged at the last council meeting to begin working on a reconciled financial statement to present for her report.  This is difficult without online access to accounts.  When asked about the duplicity of having two treasurers, the city administrator said that the statutory type of government Walsenburg has requires a treasury official to be elected.

It seems that to have an elected treasurer gives more accountability to the electorate.  Maybe a plan could be formulated to combine duties of both financial offices into one elected office with a salary and benefits. An elected treasurer should be educated in government accrual accounting and have all the access and tools necessary to provide a clear and concise financial report.

What about Walsenburg for a change?

With years of effort and an unknown amount of money poured into the Northlands sewer project, the outlook is not looking positive.

It is time for the city leaders to focus on needs in the older part of the city.  Remember where the tax money comes from?  It has been about two years since a water and sewer assessment was added to our utility bills for infrastructure improvement.  So far only repairs have been done as usual.  It was my understanding that old sewer and water lines were going to be replaced.

Every time I look at my utility bill it raises the question of when the work will begin on water and sewer line replacement.  When this question came up in the last Walsenburg City Council meeting, the answer was that replacement will begin in the older section of town near Colorado and Pennsylvania streets.  The new committees formed with citizen participation are said to be a key to laying out the strategy.  Let's go!  After charging for this project for two years, it's time for action.

When the new utility lines are installed,  we can begin repairing and resurfacing our streets which are deteriorating daily.  There is a lot of work to be done and the sooner we get started the sooner we can enjoy the improvements.

Al Murphy
Walsenburg, Co.

The Sewer Project that will Keep on Costing

Whether the city needs funds for the streets, sewer, water, or employees, the first thing the Council thinks about is raising taxes. The Northlands sewer project is no exception but it promises to take our money for another generation.  A lot of people are complaining about politicians in Washington not listening.  Are local representatives listening?  Maybe they don't hear any protests about current budget appropriations.

The contingent liabilities for infrastructure failure in our city have been estimated as high as thirty million dollars by a city official.  They include items such as natural gas transmission line repair, major water storage problems, and costly leak repairs on our water supply lines from LaVeta.  All of these items directly effect our tax and utility rates. It is difficult to get overly excited about costly projects that can drain our municipal funds for engineering fees and clean up expenses for sewer ponds that are privately owned in the Northlands. Even if property owners are willing and able to pay some of the expenses, it still leaves Walsenburg water customers guaranteeing the debt.

When the Northlands sewer project is studied for its benefits to the city, it doesn't add up.  The population served by this project is small.  However, the financial backers for it are the city water customers.  The last thing I want in my future is continual water and tax rate increases to promote land speculation.

Engineering Map of Northlands Sewer Project

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Affordable Law Enforcement for Walsenburg

It is necessary for any community to have police powers to enforce law and order.  This is an unfortunate fact; however, it is a financial consideration we must provide for in our budget.  There are various formulas for determining the number of officers necessary for a given number of residents.  While they are somewhat varied, they are not radically different.  

Our city has about 3,000 residents, and in the past we have had up to sixteen officers.  In 2012 our police department had a budget of $900,000.  The total city budget was $1.2 million.  This was seventy percent of our budget for a police department that had the additional support of twelve Huerfano sheriff department officers and the Colorado State Patrol.

This is out of proportion to the needs of a small city like ours.  Recently, city officials indicated they were going to "lay off" three officers to bring the department staff down to a level affordable in our budget.  At present, the staff is ten, including the part-time animal control officer and an office clerk.  This is a move in the right direction, but the number still seems excessive.

Another positive step the department has taken is to include a police report as part of the Walsenburg City Council agenda. The report is given at the second meeting of the month. 

All of us have a vested interest in the city.  The budget is very important.  We are facing attempts to raise the mill levy here while the city is currently repaying us for an unlawful levy in the past.  In other words, we will be asked to increase taxes to repay ourselves.

Some citizens are attending committee meetings and city council meetings, but we need a lot of help with the current problems.

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The Financial Future of Walsenburg

The Financial Future of Walsenburg

As a citizen of Walsenburg, I am interested in the future of our city. Because I have lived in several other areas, I made comparisons and chose to move here for several reasons. The natural beauty of the mountains and streams, the quiet slow pace of life, and the friendly people are part of the attraction. The cool summers and the winter snow are also compelling. What I have noticed since moving here three years ago is that I am becoming more interested in the future of our city and nation.

Almost daily there seems to be another infringement on the freedoms I took for granted most of my life. This disturbing trend caused me to question how we got in this situation. The answer is that we have not been vigilant enough about our government and our public servants.

Being retired I have some time to read and to attend community meetings. This has raised my awareness of city government and the problems we are facing here. We have serious problems with our infrastructure. Many of our water and sewer lines are old and fragile. We are short on jobs and tax revenue from business. The city is barely solvent.

We should evaluate our priorities to make decisions that result in improvements in essential services and reserve funds to provide support when water and gas lines are in need of repair or replacement.

While we should try to attract new business, we should not forget more pressing issues. Fiscal responsibility in our utility departments is critical. Reserves are necessary to maintain our basic services. Projects like the proposed sewer line for Northlands is a multimillion dollar project that is growing in expense daily with no end in sight. This one project is consuming an inordinate amount of money and time. If the city's moratorium on development were lifted, a business interested in moving to the Northlands could do so immediately.

The current sewer plans for Northlands could cause us to be liable for debt for up to forty years. Concerned citizens should come to committee meetings and city council meetings to help with these serious matters. As citizens we could have greater input on large debt issues if they were presented to the public as bond issues.

Alvin Murphy

Walsenburg, Co.Walsenburg Christmas parade 2012 (Check this video out.)
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