By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
Levan Town made amendments to the 2010 budget and approved the 2011 budget at the June 9 meeting. Amendments and approval to the budgets needs to be done before July 1.
Mayor Russ Mangelson informed the council that they needed to increase the street capital outlay fund by $20,000 in order to cover the cost of sealing certain roads in town with a new product, HA5, a high density mineral emulsion.
Council member Brent Taylor said he was sold on the product after attending a meeting in southern Utah. Several cities have used the product and say they are doing away with the chip seal process, which will save money as well as headaches.
According to the website for Holbrook Asphalt Company, HA5 is comprised of a mixture of very fine aggregates including slate, corundum, and quartz, combined with a proprietary and uniquely stable base emulsion that includes copolymers to resist UV damage.
Pros: Reduces cracking and raveling by effectively preserving the existing asphalt binder. Effectively deflects UV rays. Backed by a five year guarantee. Excellent durability and life extension. Reduces aging by restoring oils and resins to the surface. High aesthetic appeal with a pleasing "surface friendly" finish that is very well accepted by the public.
Cons: Limited effectiveness on heavy load, high volume, high speed roadways. Will not mask moderate to major defects in a distressed pavement. Traffic must stay off the roads for a minimum of 8 hours, but more likely 24 hours.
Taylor said that the company who applies this product only does it during the summer months and would be in this area by the end of June, so they needed to appropriate the money as soon as possible.
Council member Paul Mangelson said he was worried that there would be some major expenses coming up, like a new backhoe, and they wouldn't have the money in the account to cover those costs. He felt they should wait a few years to accumulate the funds to do the roads. However, he said as long as there was money to do the job without breaking the account, he was okay with it. Taylor said by using this product, it would maintain the life of the road and they would save money by not having to repair them every year or so.
Taylor said it would cost approximately $32,000 to seal the newer roads in town, and Jason Worwood, town employee, wanted to test a chip sealed road with the HA5 which would cost around $1,650. The council approved the project and to amend the 2010 budget from $150,000 to $170,000 to cover the additional cost.
There were several other amendments made to the 2010 budget, mostly to cover extra monies needed for projects, administrative costs, or certain expenditures that were less than the original budgeted amount. The council approved all amendments.
After a public hearing was held to take comment on the 2011 budget, the council approved it. The total budgeted revenues for the next year are $504, 063.
Corey Christensen, resident, asked if the council had ever discussed raising the council's wages.
"Nobody likes to talk about it because nobody wants to give themselves a raise," he said, "but when it comes to finding people to be on the council, with the amount of money you make, it's kind of a joke, for the amount of time you put into it."
He asked if there was available money to raise that wage for council members. He said council members only make between $80-$90 a month. (Christensen has been a former council member). He thought they should be making close to $1,000 a month.
Council member Brent Taylor said larger cities were paid a higher wage, but compared to other small cities, Levan was pretty close.
"I'm not saying you should get a full-time salary," Christensen said, "but something to supplement, [especially] when you miss a couple days of work a month, and $90 doesn't cover that."
Taylor thanked Christensen for his interest.
