Park projects among big-ticket items on C’ville capital improvements list

Collierville town officials tackled the first budget work sessions Thursday afternoon by looking at a list of potential capital improvements such as buying land for a new fire department, doing a needs analysis for a library expansion, buying a new phone system at Town Hall and laptops for police officers. The projects total almost $9.4 million.

Two of the big proposed park plans include $2.5 million for developing Hinton Park and $520,000 for expanding Progress Road Park by adding two athletic fields. No funds have been set aside for a second dog park.

Like other cities and towns, Collierville is looking at less money coming in to fund such projects. “We will have to have the staff look at some of these projects and decide how much we can put on our plate,” Town Administrator James Lewellen said.

He cautioned elected officials that due to the recent reappraisals, “We still are looking at losing 4 to 6 percent of our (property) values. We think it is going to be a little bit better than that.”

Town officials will have a better handle on the revenues once they meet with the county tax assessor’s office.

Earlier this week, Mayor Stan Joyner said if the town sees a 6 percent decrease in property values, it could mean a loss of almost $1.3 million in revenues. But he added, “It doesn’t mean we’ll take a property tax increase,” as town officials look at cutting costs and programs if necessary.

The aldermen talked about spending $140,000 for expanding a stretch of sidewalk near Collierville Elementary as a priority.

“I think that is a critical area right now,” said Alderman Tom Allen. Children walking to and from school must cross Peterson Lake Road to stay on the sidewalks.

Later, Alderman John Worley suggested moving that project forward to this year’s budget so that the actual work could be done by the time school is out.

Regarding land for Fire Station No. 6, Fire Chief Jerry Crawford said the best location would be in the vicinity of Center Hill Road and Holmes Road. Although the town owns the Hinton Park land at Fleming and Holmes, Crawford said the location is not ideal for a fire station because the travel distance would be greater than the town’s goal of having a station 1.5 miles or less from the coverage area.

Town officials have earmarked $50,000 for a needs analysis for expanding and renovating the library, along with a plan for private fundraising for the project. The actual construction is tentatively set for fiscal year 2018.

Police Chief Larry Goodwin is seeking about $320,000 for 25 laptops that officers could use instead of writing all their reports by hand.

“This will bring us into the 21st century,” Goodwin said. “What we are doing in essence is going from carbon paper to electronic technology.” It could also mean cutting personnel because all written reports have to be typed into the system.

“The pot of CIP money is probably going to bigger this year than for the next 3 ½ to 4 years or whenever we decide to do another bond sale,” Lewellen added.

After the meeting, Lewellen said, “I don’t think there is anything on the list that is not needed or justified.” But he said elected officials will have to decide what projects are a priority.