Andrews – The Andrews Board of Aldermen has approved a $5,216,297 budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that will see the town’s property tax rate remain at 52 cents per $100 of valuation.
Mayor James Reid credited Town Administrator Sandy Dobson and work done by the aldermen since 2018 for carefully managing the town’s finances.
“I just feel like the town has been run really efficiently the last five years,” Reid said. “Year one was a huge learning curve.
“I think the biggest thing is, after Sandy Dobson came aboard, and having Scott Stalcup and Mike Sheidy and all those aldermen really straighten out our finances. We did what we needed to do those first two years, and didn’t overreact or under-react, but made it to where we could run the town efficiently.”
The town has a variety of significant projects in the works, including an expected move into a new town hall within the next few months. Reid said the board intends to turn over its current facility to the Andrews Police Department.
Andrews also has been approved for $175,000 in grants for the recreation park and plans to use the funds to make some major improvements in town.
“We’re seeing what we saw back in the ’80s, where people flock to the rec park and it was a destination area,” Reid said. “I think that has a lot to do with the pandemic, people coming out of the pandemic and just wanting interaction with other people, and him (Director James Ellis) turning that into a more desirable place to go.”
The town’s water treatment plan requires capital improvements of $100,000 and the replacement of a water tank at a cost of more than $1.5 million. Andrews will use American Rescue Act funding for those repairs and upgrades.
Meanwhile, the wastewater treatment plant requires capital improvements estimated at $427,500. Grant funding will cover $300,000 of those costs, with the town set to cover the remaining $127,500.
“Your infrastructure, like you say, is not sexy, but it’s the backbone of your town,” Reid said. “If you don’t have infrastructure, you can’t have growth.
“We have to plan for the next 25-30 years. Right now we’re only at 40 percent capacity of water and 40 percent capacity of sewer, so we’ve got room for so much growth in Andrews, and I’m excited to think about what Andrews will look like in 10 years.”