GAS — The 2013 budget for Gas was approved at a public hearing Tuesday evening.
The budget projects total expenditures of $605,738, compared to $538,288 this year. A property tax levy of 29.212 mills will support the new budget. That’s nearly eight-tenths of a mill lower than this year’s 29.980.
Property taxes for a $100,000 home in Gas are $335.94.
City Clerk Rhonda Hill told council members 115 Gas families had been identified through a survey as being in low- or middle-income categories. The survey is being done preliminary to applying in late October for a $75,000 Community Development Block Grant for a handicap-accessible storm shelter.
“We need to have 288” in those categories for the grant application, or 51 percent of Gas’ 564 families, Hill said, meaning another 173 must be found. Surveys were mailed to all residents.
Hill said she would encourage residents to complete survey forms when they paid utility bills and, “I’ll hit the street” and go door to door if survey returns continue to lag.
Information on completed surveys is confidential.
THE DROUGHT has dried three ponds on the Allen County Country Club golf course to the point that water is being drawn from Gas to keep greens alive.
So far this month the club has used 676,000 gallons of water through the Gas system.
Steve Robb, city superintendent, said the extraordinary usage didn’t threaten the city’s purchase allotment from Iola. The Gas monthly limit is 6 million gallons.
“I don’t foresee a problem,” Robb said.
Hill noted that Gas residents were required to observe the same stage 2 water conservation measures imposed by the Kansas Water Office and announced for Iola Monday.
They are:
— An odd/even lawn watering system, with odd-numbered addresses watering on odd-numbered days, even-numbered on even-numbered days.
— Outdoor watering and car washing is restricted to before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
— Golf course watering is restricted to tees and greens. (Robb mentioned that if greens at the country club weren’t watered and the grass died, reinstallation would cost “thousands of dollars.”)
— Swimming pools may be refilled one day a week after sunset.
