PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
TREE DONATION … Bryan Board of Public Affairs board members, Karen Ford, Dick Long, and Jim Salsbury discuss the street tree donation to the Parks and Recreation Department at its meeting on Monday, September 8.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs approved a resolution at its Monday, September 8, meeting to reimburse the 2025 electric operating budget totaling $56,726.01 for mutual aid expenditures.
Through various mutual aid agreements with American Municipal Power, Inc., the American Public Power Association, and local cooperatives, the Board of Public Affairs will transfer and reappropriate funds back to the 2025 electric operating budget.
Bryan Municipal Utilities has provided mutual aid assistance this year to Lansing, Michigan, Montpelier, and the JV4 transmission line following multiple storm events and has incurred expenses for materials, labor, and equipment from these responses.
“This resolution is to reimburse funds back to the electric fund,” said Director of Utilities Derek Schultz.
The electric fund will reimburse two different accounts, $29,286.48 for supplies and materials, and $27,439.53 for employee wages.
These funds will be used as needed for the remainder of the year to replenish inventory and wages used during mutual aid responses.
“I would like to add that the mutual aid that we provide is very important,” said board member Karen Ford. “We need to keep up with that.”
The board discussed its annual street tree donation of $4,000 per year to the Bryan Parks and Recreation Department.
“This donation helps with the planting of street trees, and it also helps the city to maintain its Tree City designation,” said Schultz. “It provided 43 landscape-type trees and an additional 49 trees for a total of 92 trees planted last year.”
Schultz added that the Parks and Recreation Department provides tree guards, water bags, stakes, labor, and equipment to ensure the growth of the trees.
“The total funding for tree planting in 2024 was just over $23,000, $15,000 of that came from the city engineering department, $4,000 from parks and recreation, and then $4,000 from the utilities department,” noted Schultz.
Board member Dick Long responded with his own focus on the water treatment plant and pointed out the costs incurred so far, some of which were not fully budgeted.
“I’m a little concerned,” he admitted. “I would like to see us maybe skip a year, rather than spending $4,000. We’re going to be spending a lot of money, and I’d like to see us trim down a little bit on anything, if possible, to save money.”
Ford suggested a discussion between the board, the Parks and Recreation Department, and engineering, with their input, to see how they feel about it.
“Can we still maintain the Tree City USA designation without any additional input from us?” Ford asked. The board then tabled the motion as it will be brought up at the next BPA meeting.
The board then entered an executive session to discuss the employment, appointment, and/or compensation of a public employee, with no action taken.