Pineville Council approves 1st reading of Budget Ordinance, awards bids for Courthouse Square project

The Pineville City Council approved the first reading of the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget Ordinance and awarded the bids for electrical renovation work and the streetscape renovation for the courthouse square project at their regular meeting on Monday.

“I have to brag on (City Clerk/Treasurer) Samantha Ellen Bishop’s budget message. It’s a very thorough breakdown of what she’s done with all the revenue adjustments,” Mayor Scott Madon said.

The budget includes a 50-cent per hour raise for all city employees at a cost of approximately $40,000 after overtime is factored in.

The administration budget shows an increase to cover the cost of a survey for the annexation to the water plant and a GIS zoning map, both to be completed by JMT (formerly Vaughn & Melton).

“We’ve been working on getting our maps updated to show the annexation that we’ve done,” Madon explained. “We’re trying to get something we can put on our website where people can view and see that and we’ll be meeting with those folks (Tuesday).”

Through a deal the Police Department made with the County for old cruisers, they will not be charged the usual $12,000 for dispatch services for the next six years. $94,000 is included in the Police Department to cover the matching costs on a USDA grant for two new cruisers as well as the costs for outfitting them. The department is also expecting to receive a $31,850 LEPP Grant to cover the full cost of purchasing new tasers.

For the Fire Department, funding has been allocated to purchase new turnout gear. With a total cost expected to be $90,000 the city is budgeting $45,000 in 2024 and $45,000 in 2025 to cover it. Also $40,000 for a weather alert siren grant has been rolled over into the new budget.

In the Street Department, the budget moves funding that had been set aside last year for the purchase of a new truck to purchasing a new transport van to carry inmates. The city’s current van recently broke down and the cost of a new one is expected to be around $50,000.

“We never did buy a truck so we’ve rolled that money over to get a van,” Madon said. “To give you some idea of what we’re looking at, when we bought that van in 2017 it was $21,500. Now we’re looking at used ones that are over $50,000.”

The budget also reflects $1,704,675 in ARC funds for the Streetscape Project and $1 million from the state budget for the project that will be received this year and next year. $4,828 in remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds will be spent on a hydraulic breaker for the project. The sinking fund to repay the Kentucky Bond Corporation will be $76,002.10 in ‘24-’25 and is reflected in the debt service line under the restaurant tax. The reserve funds account is designated as contingency funds for the downtown project.

Also included in the budget is $278,000 for the splash pad and pickleball court at the Walnut Street Mini Park. The city was not awarded a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for the project last year but has reapplied this year.

The city is also planning to purchase zip cruise and climbing playground equipment for the Newtown Park from the restaurant tax.

The first reading of the budget ordinance was approved 4-0 with council members Ben Madon, Patricia Bingham, Alicia Slusher and Bobby Valentine, who participated by phone, all voting in favor of it.

The council also approved the awarding of bids for the Courthouse Square Streetscape Project. The bid for electrical renovations was awarded to Total Electric Systems, Inc. for the amount of $529, 410.

“This is for all of the underground wires for the street lights and everything around the courthouse,” Madon said. “There are 25 street lights around the courthouse and up Pine Street. Total Electric was the only bid and our engineers had estimated it at about $560,000 so he came in under. That’s Tim Stevens, he graduated from Pineville and has done quite a bit of work for the water company.”

The bid for the Streetscape Renovations contract was awarded to Green Construction

Company for the amount of $3,648,013.44.

“We met last Friday with all of the different utilities — Spectrum, KU, gas, water and the engineers,” Madon said. “We talked about taking out the traffic control costs. We probably won’t be able to take all of it out because some of it includes walkboard planks so people can get into businesses while the sidewalks are torn out. But I know we will be able to trim at least $300,000 to $400,000 off that number.”

He said they were looking at using a grade 2 brick inlay instead of a grade 1 that the original plans had called for. The engineers are going to make sure the change won’t cause any kind of drainage problems.

“That’s a difference of $250,000 going from a grade 1 to a grade 2,” Madon said. “Another reason I’d like to do that is over the years we’re going to have to replace those and the replacements will be cheaper, too.

“We had to award the bid based on how it was written, but the contractors know the number will go down if we take those things out,” Madon added. “Another good thing is Del Mae also bid on the project and they will be working with Green Construction so that will hopefully speed the project up.”

He said that the contractors anticipate they can be finished by Christmas.

The council also approved the appointment of Lisa Brock as the resident member of the Housing Authority Board.

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