WARDEN — The Warden City Council approved its 2020 budget during a regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The current expense fund has budgeted $1,372,710 for 2020. Of that, $1,157,650 is for day-to-day maintenance and operations. The rest of the money will go toward projects and other expenditures outside of daily operations.

For the equipment fund, $115,100 has been budgeted. Of that, $82,100 will go toward general operations. The street fund will be spending $250,200 of its $695,037 budget on maintenance and operations. The cemetery has been allotted $89,430, $65,332 of which is for daily operations. The capital improvement fund has been budgeted $20,000.

The budgeted amount for the water/sewer fund is $4,465,215. Of that, $1,205,495 will go to day to day operations and $466,800 will go to debt service. The sanitation fund has received $489,245. Daily operations will use $467,400 of that amount. The water capital replacement fund will receive $75,000, while the deposit fund will receive $3,000.

Warden’s total 2020 budget is $7,321,737. Their total operation and maintenance costs will be $3,231,177. The rest of the funds will go toward other things, such as projects and debt.

In other business, the council passed an agreement with the Grant County Health District for health services in 2020. They also approved a budget amendment for 2019 for the work performed to the police station bathroom and security wall. The project went over the original budgeted amount.

City Administrator Kriss Shuler told the council that Warden had been put on the selection list to receive a Transportation Improvement Board grant for 2021. The grant is for $63,935. As of now, Shuler isn’t sure if they will actually see the money, due to the passing of Initiative 1976, the initiative that reduced car tabs to $30.

“We’ve been selected to receive that money,” Shuler said. “We’ll see if it comes to fruition.”

The council voted to approve their second regular meeting for December, due to it landing on Christmas Eve.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].