NEDERLAND — Department heads in the city of Nederland are busy submitting requests as staff begins to prepare the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget.

The group met at the Ed and Marion Hughes Library Monday morning to discuss the formation of the budget of which a final draft is expected to be presented to city council around Aug. 6.

Nederland City Manager Chris Duque is working to be “very conservative” as he works with declining property values coupled with an unanticipated surplus of sales tax revenue and franchise fees. The city’s newest additions, Sterling Ridge and Lakes of Nederland, are nearing completion but those monies won’t be seen until the next fiscal year.

Yet even with being very conservative Duque plans to address a number of requests from the various departments.

Victoria Klehn, manager of the Ed and Marion Hughes Library,  presented information showing just how popular the library has become with 73,000 people visiting the library and 123,000 visiting the library’s website. The library is the first in the area with an app for phones, Klehn said.

Keeping up with technology and the needs of the public are the main goals of the library but there are some facility issues that need to be addressed.

“This is a 14 year old building,” she said as photos were projected on a nearby screen. “The building has maintenance issues that are age related.”

Some of the issues involve the HVAC system.

“You can nickel and dime it at between $500 to $3,000 to replace parts on 14-year-old units or replace and rotate out periodically,” she said.

Duque answered he has included funding for replacement of one of the units and plans to address the second unit in the next fiscal year.

Nederland Fire Chief Gary Collins, who has a staff of 15 paid people and 12 volunteer members, is pleased the department was recently awarded a Port Security Grant for remodeling, but there are other needs as well.

Collins said he would like to eventually see a sub-station to better address the western annexed areas as well as taking care of two old vehicles.

“Engine 3 is nearing the end of its service,” Collins said of the 1991 vehicle.

When the unit was originally purchased, council decided to go with a less expensive engine, which “has been nothing but a problem.”

There is also Rescue 7, a 2003 vehicle of which the cab and chassis can be changed out to the tune of about $60,000.

The city already plans to buy three sets of bunker gear with a fourth set to be bought in the next fiscal year. New state mandates call for gear, which costs about $2,500 a set, to be retired after 10 years, and periodic testing has to be done on the gear as well.

Nederland Police Chief Darrell Bush has requested the addition of one officer who will likely work traffic as well as two vehicles, a Ford Explorer and Ford Taurus Interceptor. The two police vehicles, which will be retired, have high mileage — 95,000 and 89,000. One of those vehicles will be repurposed for use by the information technology department, Bush said.

Bush expressed concern in keeping overtime to a minimum, and since Oct. 1, 2011, four members of the department have been out with 55 weeks of sick leave.

“In addition, the department has had to cover shifts for regularly scheduled vacations, compensatory time and other short-time illnesses,” he said.

Duque explained he has included in his preliminary budget the cost to hire an officer, buy equipment  and  the two vehicles.

Angela Fanette, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, has been a whirlwind of activity with the recent Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza, Summer in the City art fest, Christmas on the Avenue and trash bashes as well as overseeing the city’s five parks, working with double the number of children attending swimming lessons, camps, soccer, basketball and more.

But for now her focus is future playground repairs for Carl "Cropo" LeBlanc Park, 900 Block Boston Avenue, and the South 5th Street Park, 400 Block S. Fifth  St. Fanette said neither of those parks have the correct fall zone, which caused her concern.

The cost to replace both fall zone areas and equipment comes in at $50,000, although there is a chance the projects would come in under budget.

Another issue that needs to be addressed, Fanette said, is adding two Americans with Disabilities Act lifts which mount into the wall. New legislation, effective January 2013, make this project a priority just two years after the pool underwent major upgrades, some of which included ADA upgrades to dressing rooms and the pool area.

Fanette has worked without an assistant since she was hired as director, Duque said. But not for long.

“Obviously with the amount of programing we’re now doing with the chamber of commerce, there is the need for additional staff,” Duque said. “Prior to Angela coming here, we had a full time director and an assistant.”

The city has allocated funds to continue with the successful community events such as Christmas on the Avenue and the Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza hence the need for assistance in the parks and recreation department, he added.

mmeaux@panews.com