Port of Grapeview reviews proposed budget cuts

Kirk Boxleitner | Oct 27, 20220

Before scheduling a public hearing for their next regular meeting Nov. 15, Port of Grapeview commissioners and the port manager last week reviewed proposed budget cuts they’d addressed at an earlier meeting.

Port Manager Amanda Montgomery said the November meeting will also involve the passage of five resolutions related to the port’s budget.

Port Commissioner Jean Farmer said the budget workshop was useful to familiarize the port commission’s two relatively new members with how port budgeting works, in addition to making the budget sustainable.

Regarding a proposed parking lot expansion, all three port commissioners agreed it was a “great idea” whose time has not yet come, given the more pressing concerns and constraints affecting the 2023 budget.

“We felt very strongly that pushing that down the road a bit would be the best thing for the port financially,” Farmer said.

Montgomery began the preliminary budget line items by noting the port was proposing to raise its anticipated kiosk revenue, both for traffic and inflation increases, by at least 5%. As Farmer pointed out, “Just like everything else, everything costs us more also, from insurance to operating expenses, so we’re forced to pass some of that onto the customer.”

Montgomery credited port commissioners with agreeing it would be in the best interest of the 2023 budget to waive their per diems for the year. Farmer said Port of Grapeview commissioners are not paid salaries, but receive flat per diem amounts for each month, which already don’t cover “anything extra.”

By waiving per diems for 2023, Montgomery estimated the commissioners would save the port nearly $10,000.

From there, Montgomery cited a number of what she called “just in case” line items that were being reduced from 2022 to 2023, thanks to the port’s recent property sale, which generated $40,000 that can go toward the port’s savings.

“In the past, we had nothing like this,” Farmer said. “If something broke, we had to have money in our budget to pay for it.”

According to Montgomery, the land sale revenues enabled line-item reductions, including ramp cleaning and maintenance, adjusted down from $1,000 to $500; float gangway repair maintenance, down from $2,000 to $1,000; pump house maintenance, from $1,000 to $500; digital assets, including computer maintenance, repairs and service, from $300 to $50; travel reimbursements, $150 to $50; and miscellaneous expenses, $750 to $500.

“That brings our operating budget expenses down to a more realistic $35,605, which is within the parameters of our tax and kiosk revenues,” Montgomery said. “This year’s estimated expenses were about $44,240, so that’s a savings of nearly $10,000.”

Montgomery summed up the capital budget as removing the parking lot project and “any kind of improvements,” including the replacement of a removed light pole.

As Farmer reiterated her goal of another levy campaign, she confirmed with Montgomery that the Port of Grapeview’s levy amount is 2.8 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.

“That’s the lowest levy in the whole state,” Farmer said. “I don’t even know how we make it.”

“You make it by waiving your per diems for the whole year,” Montgomery said with a laugh.