HAZARD – The Hazard City Commission approved an annual budget of over $17 million in its second reading on June 14. This budget will go into affect on July 1 of this year, the start of the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Several projects were allotted substantial amounts of money, including two water line projects, one in the Right Fork of Maces Creek, which was budgeted $100,000. The other, the trunk line water project, was budgeted $700,000. This project is near completion, said Hazard City Manager, Carlos Combs.

“It’s working out real well,” Combs said. He said the pump at the water booster station is operational, but only manually. More parts are needed to make the pump run automatically.

The project’s success also depends on whether or not the hospital and residents living near the hospital will be without water when the new water tank is made operational. Combs said the city was conducting a study into this matter before turning the old tank down.

Another big amount of money was budgeted to the Hazard City Police Department through the Asset Forfeiture Fund. This fund is set up to divvy up assets seized in criminal cases to respective police departments involved in these cases. This year, the Hazard City Police, through their work with UNITE, have helped seize much more assets than in previous years, Combs said. As a result, the department will be receiving $250,000.

The money will be used to buy the department “anything to make it run a little better,” Combs said. This includes new vehicles and equipment.

The Public Improvements Fund received over $800,000 for the fiscal year, which Combs said would be used for things like the new park to be constructed at the end of Main Street.

The Hazard Fire Department was budgeted $184,000 for their equipment fund, and the city was also given $140,000 for their road fund, which will be used to improve roads throughout the city.

Other projects receiving money through the budget are the Local Government Engineer’s Association ($250,000), the Mayor/Community Recreation Fund ($1,130), Mountain Community Hospice ($350,000), Pension Fund ($580,000), Sewer Repair and Maintenance Fund ($70,000), the Forum Fund ($300,000), gas fund ($2,100,000), garbage fund ($1,050,000), Pavilion fund ($480,000), water fund ($3,450,000) and the sewer fund ($1,300,000).