On December 12, 2017, the Mayor and Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2018 fiscal year budget. This is the operational budget for the entire calendar year from January until December. The Town continues to be conscious of its fiscal responsibility, while at the same time responsive to delivering the core services the community expects and requests within the constraint of the budget. While the appropriations of the budget call for the use of unreserved fund balances (savings) in some of the funds for capital projects, the Town anticipates having over $21 million in unreserved funds across all fund types at the end of the 2018 fiscal year. All the while, the Town continues to enjoy a AA rating from Standard & Poor’s, the world’s leading provider of credit ratings. Here are some of the highlights of the 2018 budget.
Neighborhood and Community Enhancements
• Community BBQ Tour – The Town Board will continue its Community BBQ Tour with stops throughout the community. This allows them to listen to citizens provide ideas and thoughts on how to continue making Frederick great.
• Skate Park Development – Staff, along with a professional skate park consulting company and community feedback, completed the design of a skate park in 2016. The Town is now actively seeking grant funding to compliment the Open Space and Park Funds allocations for the projects construction. We hope to hear a positive response from the Great Outdoors Colorado Grant Program in April as well as submit a new grant to the Department of Local Affairs to assist with the project’s development. The skate park will be built at the Frederick Recreation Area.
• Park Improvements – The playground and its surface in the Fox Run neighborhood will be replaced in 2018. The playground will be replaced based on the age of the equipment, repair and maintenance costs. The existing surface will be replaced with a poured-in-place product that is safe and ADA compliant. The Crist Park playground will also be getting a poured-in-place surface this year.
• Regional Park Expansion – The Town’s Park, Open Space and Trails Master Plan calls for the acquisition and establishment of a regional park on the west side of I-25. As development continues on both sides of the highway, the Town will explore opportunities for this acquisition to benefit future generations of our community.
Infrastructure Improvements
• Roadway Projects – The Town will be working jointly with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and City of Dacono to design and construct improvements to the I-25/Highway 52 interchange. Frederick and Dacono received a Highway Safety Improvement Grant (HSIP) from CDOT to cover 90% of this project’s cost, with the two towns splitting the remaining 10%. This grant will make the accident-heavy interchange (200 reported in the last five years) safer by creating an eastbound acceleration lane from the northbound off-ramp of I-25.
• Overlay Programing – The Town has allocated $700,000 towards pavement maintenance programing for the 2018 year. This includes striping of a number of roadways including areas of downtown.
• Downtown Alleyway Improvements – The Town has allocated funding to begin its third year of a planned seven-year project for alleyway improvements by paving the alleyways in downtown. A section of these alleyways will be completed each year until all the alleys in downtown are completed.
• Trail Development – Several trail sections will be constructed during 2018, including the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grant the Town received in 2017. This project will safely connect the Savannah, Angel View, and Carriage Hills subdivisions to the Downtown and Thunder Valley K-8 school. Milavec Lake trail improvements will also be completed this year to provide a more level and improved surface.
• Downtown Storm Water Improvements – The Town has applied to the Department of Local Affairs for a grant to make improvements to the drainage in Downtown Frederick by adding additional storm water capacity on both 5th and 3rd streets in downtown. These were the identified low areas based on topographic data, making them most prone to flooding. The areas where new storm pipe will be installed will also have a 2” asphalt overlay incorporated into the project construction.
Water Planning
• Water Programing – The Town continues to commit to development and construction of new water supplies, including the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) and the Windy Gap Water Projects respectively. These water projects will ensure the community is able to meet the water needs of growth for the next 20 years. They also safeguard current residents and businesses during drought years that already occur.
• Raw Water Extension – The Town will continue to expand its raw water system into areas where it currently uses potable water in existing park and open space areas. This is not only a better use of water types, but also reduces costs based on the type of water used for these green spaces. As the expansion continues, please be aware of signs warning not to drink the water.
Electric Utility
• Service Reliability – The Town will continue to make enhancements and critical capital improvements to ensure its nearly 2,400 service customers have reliable and affordable power for their consumption by upgrading a primary line and looping this service.
• Solar and Other Rebate Programs – The Town continues to offer its customers LED, energy star appliance and other energy reduction rebates critical to saving customers money.
This is certainly not comprehensive, but just some of the items you will see throughout the 2018 calendar year. If you have questions or comments, please let us know. Some of the best ideas and outcomes are generated directly from your feedback. This joint approach is critical for the community’s success.