Pikeville's budget gets OK from board
By Laura Collins
Published in News on June 25, 2009 1:46 PM
Pikeville residents can expect to see higher electric rates beginning in July.
Following Tuesday night's public hearing on the 2009-10 budget, town commissioners approved the budget by a 3-1 vote, with board member Edith McClenny dissenting.
The new budget does not increase taxes, but it does include an 8.2 percent increase in the electric rate in addition to an increase in the electric usage flat fee.
Flat fees were increased by $1 for residential customers and $3 for business customers.
Town Administrator Kathie Fields said the commissioners were torn about deciding to raise electric rates.
"We did not, because of the hard economic times people are having, want to increase rates. But that increase put us to comply with our revenue bond," she said.
McClenny was against approving the budget because she didn't agree with how $50,000 was being spent.
"They put $50,000 in the budget to do repairs that I felt like was unnecessary," she said after the meeting.
McClenny said the money will be used to put granite flooring in the bank building on Main Street and to tear down the old library.
"I just think that we needed it for something else," she said.
McClenny suggested possibly using the money to offset the electric rate increases or improving lights at the park.