At the Pioche Town Board meeting Feb. 10, Town Board members and the Pioche Public Utilities managers looked intensely at the budget for the Town of Pioche.
Nathan Adams, PPU manager, was tasked with exploring ways to cut the budget.
He said a large expense is incurred when the town has to perform cemetery burials. The ground in Pioche is much more difficult to maneuver than other towns such as Panaca or Caliente. The hours of labor, plus tools and equipment used depletes funds for other projects around town, and also calls for many augments to the budget at the end of the fiscal year.
While the Town of Pioche is not trying to make profit on cemetery burials, they do need to recover the high expenses involved. The board approved raising the cost of cemetery plot burials to $500, cremation fees to $255 and the cost for setting monuments on plots to $160.
The town also looked at raising property taxes, and have concerns of what this year’s projected assessed property value will do with and without raising the rates.
The Pioche Town Board has tentatively scheduled at their next meeting March 10 to discuss and possibly approve a proposed tax increase. This will be an open public meeting, and all residents are invited and encouraged to attend.
