The Warrenton Board of Aldermen this month approved a monumental $25 million budget for the city’s next 12 months of spending, which is inflated in part by over $5 million in infrastructure projects delayed by the COVID pandemic.

“Several extensive projects ... were funded and initialized but did not reach completion by the prior year end,” Warrenton finance officer Dana Belaska explained in a budget summary submitted to city aldermen. “Due to the concern related to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sales tax revenue, many projects were put on hold in (fiscal year) ’21 and are included in this year’s budget as carryover projects.”

The carryover into the 2021-2022 fiscal year continues a backlog that started almost 16 months ago at the end of the 2019-2020 year. City officials at the time said over $7 million in street, stormwater and sewer projects had been put on hold.

Aldermen voted 6-0 on June 15 to approve the next year’s budget. Projected revenues of $13.7 million will combine with $13.3 million in existing funds to cover the expenses, according to budget documents.

Major holdover projects include $1.9 million for construction and engineering for sidewalks along North Highway 47. Also included are $1.1 million for water main replacements along Vosholl, Tomahawk and Hawthorne roads, as well as $1.7 million for new stormwater drainage channels along Steinhagen and McKinleys roads, Highway U, and Veterans Memorial Parkway, Belaska explained in her summary.

A $550,000 effort to repaint the water tower at the industrial park on Highway M was also put on hold last year. The remainder of the holdover projects include a wide variety of facility improvements, equipment purchases, minor paving, and park improvements.

Added to all of that are about $9 million in new projects. Most notably, a $5 million effort to complete construction of new sewer mains, and over $1 million for state-mandated upgrades at the sewer treatment plant, will finish a lengthy sewer project approved by voters in 2014.

Additional spending on stormwater, sewer, and paving make up most of the rest of Warrenton’s budget for capital projects. However, The city has also set aside $150,000 to begin making aesthetic improvements to the area of Main Street, part of a downtown revitalization effort in collaboration with the Warrenton Downtown Association.

Operating budget

Warrenton has $8 million budgeted for the day-to-day operations of the city government over the next year. By far the largest share of spending goes to Warrenton’s police department and public works department (streets, water and sewer), which occupy more than half of daily spending.

Payroll for city employees is increasing by over 7 percent this year, Belaska said, including raises for existing employees and an increase to starting wages.

“Starting wages for hourly positions were increased to remain competitive in the current employment market,” Belaska reported in her budget summary.

Health insurance costs that the city pays for its employees are projected to increase by 6 percent this year.

Warrenton’s budget each year also includes payment on the debts its accrued for major projects such as the new I-70 interchange and sewer construction. Aldermen approved $2.5 million in debt payments for this fiscal year.