Commission takes first look at budget

The proposed city budget for this fiscal year, which began July 1, is $104.3 million.

The City Commission took its first look at the proposed budget Tuesday during its work session. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for July 21.

The commission also scheduled a second budget work session for July 15.

The budget includes two firefighters, two 911 center dispatchers and other major public safety items, including replacing a fire engine for an estimated $425,000.

The estimated tax revenue for the general fund this year is $15.9 million. The increase of new taxable property in the city is $95,000, which City Manager Greg Doyon said is due to slow growth in the city.

The proposed public safety budget for this year is $19.1 million.

Doyon said the budget will see the 17 percent fund balance, which is required by commission policy but hasn’t been met for several years due to strain on the general fund due to Electric City Power.

The proposed budget also includes $32,500 for replacement self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighters, though the total cost is estimated at $325,000. Doyon said Fire Chief Steve Hester is working on a grant application to cover the rest of the cost to replace equipment that is nearing the end of its lifespan, presenting a major safety concern for firefighters.

Doyon is also recommending that the City Commission use the inflationary factor for property taxes and the permissive medical levy. Other increases are proposed for assessments and fees for services such as utilities and golf.

Jim Rearden, public works director, said last year that utility fees would increase for the next several years to cover the cost of upgrades required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The proposed budget includes $10,000 to reinstate the Book-Mobile since the donations that kept it running last year are no longer expected, Doyon said, but will not allow the library to operate on Sundays and Mondays.

The proposal also includes putting $11,000 back into the library’s fund to fix the roof since that money had to be used this year to stop water from leaking in the front door, Doyon said. The proposal also includes finding to reinstate on-call staff positions that were cut last year.

The allowable increase for property taxes is 0.67 percent, which is estimated to generate $88,387 in additional revenue. Property taxes alone in the city don’t cover the cost of the public safety portion of the budget.

The proposed permissive medical levy increase is 2.17 percent, or about $285,000 in additional revenue to help offset the cost of health insurance increases in the general fund.

According to city data, health insurance premiums have increased by 6.45 percent during the last two fiscal years.

The impact of those proposed increases on a residential home with a taxable market value of $100,000 would be $12.27 for the year, according to the fiscal services department.

The proposed budget includes a new position in the Park and Recreation Department that would oversee the River’s Edge Trail starting Jan. 1, after Doug Wicks retires from Recreational Trails Inc. The city is making moves to assume more responsibility and financial investment in the River’s Edge Trail system.

Half of the funding for that position would come from Park and Rec, the other half from Planning and Community Development through Unified Planning Work Program, which is federal transportation dollars, said Craig Raymond, city planning director.

The proposal includes $90,000 to fund a park master plan, but those monies are coming from the Park and Rec Trust Fund, said Joe Petrella, Park and Rec director.

The master plan would take a comprehensive look at city parks and recreational facilities to better prioritize and plan for maintenance, improvements and upgrades. The last park master plan was done in the 1990s.

Doyon has also included $100,000 to pay golf course debt, which goes off the books in September and Petrella said the department will start paying back the general fund. The golf courses owe the general fund about $1 million.

A $167,000 debt payment for the Electric City Water Park is also included from the general fund, for a total of $381,389 for the aquatics program in the proposed budget.