The city councils for Riverton and Lander both approved municipal budgets for fiscal year 2023-2024 during meetings last week.
Riverton budget
Riverton’s overall budget totals almost $40 million, according to a memo from staff – up from about $30 million last year and about $22.6 million the year before.
The “significant increase” in funding this year will go toward “investment in community infrastructure,” city administrator Kyle Butterfield said during a special meeting last week.
“We do have several grants that will support improvements to our water system,” he told the council. “We also are receiving a higher allocation of (state) supplemental funding, and most of that money is going back to the community.”
He also noted that this year’s budget “takes care of our employees that serve the community.”
The council approved a 5 percent cost of living adjustment for staff this year, as well as merit raises.
“We appreciate what you do,” Mayor Tim Hancock said. “Our focus (is) our people, because that’s the face of our organization.”
Lander budget
The Lander City Council approved its budget during a regular meeting last week.
The budget includes about $7 million in the general fund, $15.8 million in the enterprise fund, $4.9 million in the optional one percent sales tax fund, $820,000 in the optional half percent sales tax fund for economic development, about $1 million in the airport fund, about $1.4 million for capital projects, and about $21,000 in the senior center fund, city clerk Rachelle Fontaine said during the meeting.
Councilmember Julia Stuble thanked city staff for making “fair and reasonable recommendations for how we use these funds.”
“I think that this budget reflects our priorities as a city,” she said. “We are doing our best to look at what we can do to replace aging equipment and take care of problems that are legacy problems for us, and also plan for a future that is vibrant and provides the services that you all have asked that we provide.”