GLADSTONE — The Gladstone City Commission held budget work sessions last week. While City Manager Eric Buckman said the commission won’t have solid numbers on upcoming projects until the middle of March, he was able to confirm that the General Fund will be coming in under budget.

“We’re looking at coming out under budget and on the positive side, bringing the fund balance back up to where the auditor would like it to be,” said Buckman.

In the Major Street Fund, the city will be chip-sealing 6,000 feet of road. They will also be applying emulsified sealer to new pavement on 9th Street and 4th Street.

$200,000 will be transferred from the Major Street Fund to the Local Street Fund.

“This is the Act 51 money we get from the state. Like most small towns, we have more local streets, so the state allows us to transfer a percentage each year, and we usually do,” Buckman said of moving the funds from the Major Street Fund to the Local Street Fund.

The funds will be used to pave North 15th Street and Hupy Avenue and chip-seal 6,000 feet of local streets. The city will also purchase a new street sweeper to replace the old one, which is 20 years old and worn out.

In the Solid Waste Fund, 200 new wheeled refuse bins will be purchased for use by residents and small businesses. According to Buckman, most of the city’s bins are over ten years old. The new bins will replace existing city bins that are no longer functional.

The Electric Fund will be used for a new roof, siding and HVAC for the electricity garage. There will be an increase in electricity rates as the result of a rate study conducted by Utility Financial Solutions (UFS) in October 2020.

The Water Fund will be used to conduct a 1 million gallon reservoir inspection, replace activated carbon in water filters, and tuck-point and paint the exterior of the water plant. Water utilities will also see a rate increase as recommended by the UFS study.