Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home City Council elected Craig Fentiman mayor on Jan. 11, its first meeting of the year.
Tim McQueary, mayor from 2003 through last week, was elected president pro tem, who serves as mayor when the mayor is absent.
Mayor Fentiman has served on the City Council since 1988. He served as mayor from January 1991 to January 1995 and again from January 2001 to January 2002.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Mayor Fentiman said. “It’s a challenge. I think what I’m looking forward to is we’ve got some things established in a good direction and we’ve got the momentum.”
The city faces three “huge challenges” as Mayor Fentiman takes office. They include funding the replacement of the water treatment plant, funding repairs of the city’s sewer system and figuring out how to cover a budget shortfall facing the Police Department.
The city has access to $5 million in loan funds to replace the water treatment plant.
“We’ll be addressing, of course, the wastewater system on the 18th work session,” Mayor Fentiman said.
The project may cost anywhere from $15 million to $30 million, according to consultants on the project.
The city must reduce “inflow and infiltration” (I) by October 2007. I is storm water and groundwater that leaks into the sewer system through cracks in the pipes or through cross connections. I can cause the treatment plant to overflow during heavy rains.
“It’s pretty cut and dried what we need to do,” Mayor Fentiman said. “The challenge is going to be funding it.”
The question for the council is getting the new water treatment plant, replacing a deteriorating plant build in the 1930s, and reducing I done while keeping the cost low to ratepayers, Mayor Fentiman said.
Funding for police is going to be a perpetual problem that will get worse, Mayor Fentiman said.
The city made cuts in the general fund last year and transferred the money to law enforcement, which has operated for years on temporary local option levies. Property tax compression, based on decreasing property values and other local option levies growing, caused the shortfall last year. This year, increasing retirement rates will cause further shortfall.
“It’s still too early to know how the city might deal with the shortfall,” Mayor Fentiman said. “Most likely, I see us looking for money to keep the Police Department as close to whole as possible.”
Cutting into the general fund last year wasnít easy, and making cuts in general isn’t easy in a small town where everyone knows everyone.
“Basically that gets down to the nuts and bolts of it,” Mayor Fentiman said. “You’re laying off people you know. Unless you are an absolutely unfeeling monster, yes, it has an impact.”
Everything isn’t doom and gloom for the city though.
“I love seeing the pipe going into the ground,” Mayor Fentiman said. “Sorry about the streets being torn up all over, but the city is getting things done.”
The pipes he refers to are part of the I reduction project. The city has spent about $4 million so far replacing old sewer lines and laterals.
The Beautification Committee’s work on the median strip is another bright spot for Sweet Home, Mayor Fentiman said. The city has supported the effort, including staff time from Public Works and the city manager.
Mayor McQueary “has done a great job,” Mayor Fentiman said. “I have all the respect in the world for Tim. We actually talk quite frequently, and I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the council.”