The Erie Town Council unanimously approved a 2025 budget, but may amend it later after increasing utility rates and fees to help pay for improvement projects, members said on Tuesday.

The council previously tabled a plan to increase utility rates and fees. However all council members were in agreement on Tuesday that they must increase rates to balance the budget and allow the town to improve. The budget was approved during the Tuesday meeting.

The bulk of the town’s capital projects are in utilities and public works projects, totaling approximately $124 million. Finance Director Sara Hancock said that currently utility rates and fees will remain the same for next year, although she said that if no changes were to occur there would be a deficit in the water fund and the storm drainage fund next year.

“It is not a sustainable situation in terms of long-term planning for our capital needs in the water fund,” Hancock said.

If customer rates and fees are not increased, the town may have to consider eliminating high priority projects, such as a new water treatment facility and other water improvement projects, people said at the meeting.

Public Works Director David Pasic said the Lynn R. Morgan Water Treatment Facility is currently being pushed to its treatment capacity, and any expansions or improvements will help the town be able to meet its future growth demand.

Hancock said that the budget prioritizes the community, aimed to make the town “better, not just bigger.” Some of those projects include a $19 million new water treatment facility project, a $35.5 million police department expansion project, and other improvement projects around town.

Kristin Bruner, capital improvement analyst, said that a new feature this year was a scorecard that department leaders could use to score their capital projects requests in line with the town council’s priorities and departmental priorities.

Bruner said the departments score their projects on the scorecard based on health, safety, legal, environmental, fiscal, operational and cultural impacts. The scorecard takes into account where the project request falls and how it aligns with the town’s priorities, Bruner said.

She clarified that while the scorecard might rate something as a low priority, the department is able to mark it as high priority.

The scorecard also takes into account if projects have been continuously rolled over, she said.