TOPSAIL BEACH — A Pender County beach town is planning its upcoming budget, to include a new public safety building and recycling program.
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Topsail Beach town staff discussed 2024-2025 budget proposals with the board of commissioners at a workshop Wednesday. The requested general fund is $60,000 more than last year at $5.3 million, with largely similar expenditures. The budget does not include property tax rate changes after last year’s increase from $0.34 to $0.40 per $100.
Finance director Connie Forand noted a $9 increase in residential recycling as the biggest suggested change. The town has 1,326 recycling customers and the current rate is $5, to bump up to $14 per billing cycle.
The town is implementing a $96,000 pilot program to provide curbside recycling collections. It received a $70,000 Community Waste Reduction and Recycling grant earlier this month to purchase recycling carts, and will use revenue from additional fees to help cover the remainder. Topsail will work with contractor Sonoco Recycling.
Forand told Port City Daily the town is considering other small increases before finalizing the budget next month, including south end parking costs and building and marina fees. Parking at the south end currently costs $5 an hour and $25 per day. The town’s marina fees for boat slips are $35 per night, $200 per week, and $600 per month.
In March, the town received an $8-million grant from the Office of State Management and Budget to build a new Public Safety Facilities Building. Forand said current facilities are too small to house the police and fire departments, and the town does not have a parking garage to store a potential new fire truck that will be discussed at future budget meetings.
The town put grant funds in a separate account from the general fund, although it is considering budget expenditures to cover building expenses in the future. Staff recommended Wilmington-based Thomas Construction among four applicants to build the new facility and will meet Monday for the first time.
The town paid $1 million for three public lots on 802, 804, and 806 South Anderson Boulevard to make space for the new public safety building. Debt service will be paid through the capital improvement project (CIP) fund set up last year, which currently generates an annual $103,000 from tax revenue.
Topsail also recently sold a public lot on 2003 Ocean Boulevard that will give the CIP fund an additional $459,000 over the next two years.
Forand had a positive view of this year’s financial situation. She highlighted the town’s recent completion of its cyclical beach renourishment project and didn’t expect the need for a significant influx of funds into the town’s Beach, Inlet, and Sound (BIS) fund unless there is a major unforeseen expense.
“We’re moving along,” Forand said. . “We just finished our $24 million beach project and we’re very happy with that.”
Changes from the draft presented at a May 1 workshop include a $70,000 increase in grant funding, a $20,000 decrease in projected interest income, and a $20,000 increase in recycling expenditures.
The board plans to hold a public hearing to adopt the proposed budget on June 12.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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