My Friday column in the NDN:
As I mentioned to you last week, your city council is now reviewing the 2011-2012 operating budget in preparation of final approval sometime in September. This past Tuesday, the council and city directors had our first chance to have open discussions regarding a majority of the budget plans for next year. I’m very pleased to say that things are looking far better than they did just 12 months ago.
Most notable to me is the first planned pay raise for our employees since 2008. The planned 3.5% cost-of-living increase for 2012 is in contrast to a 0% increase last year and a 3.75% DECREASE in 2009. We’ve got a great group of folks who work both in the public eye as well as behind the scenes to keep our city functioning. They are very deserving of this increase.
Other notable highlights include the planned addition of two more police officers to our force in October. Combine that with the two officers added last month and we’re making some good headway to restore a force that saw almost half of its headcount cut just one year ago. Our fire department should also see the final two firefighters return to the city’s payroll in 2012. Thanks to the 24-month SAFER grant, the fire department is now back to full force.
One last note of good news is that overall sales tax revenues for the city continue to show some positive, albeit slight, increases from this time last year. While the overall impact will be small, it’s a welcomed sign that things are slowly improving and the local economy is doing better.
As with any budget, there are some challenges on the horizon. Golf course revenues are lagging behind where they need to be. Options are still being explored to help that cash drain to the city, but there will be no quick or easy fix. We also have to plan for the end of the SAFER grant funding in May, 2013. That grant allowed us to restore our fire station staffing, but the city will once again be responsible to start paying those salaries 18 months from now. We’ve got time to plan, but the $300K+ annual cost is a sizeable amount that will require some hard work to cover. Capital needs for fire truck and police car repairs/replacements are also on the list for 2013. Our crews have done a great job keeping our equipment working longer than its expected lifespan, but even the best kept equipment will have to be replaced at some point.
Overall, it was a good session and a positive change. Your city staff has worked hard to keep costs low and expenses under control. We’ve got a long road ahead, but the financial disaster of 2009 is now in our rearview mirror and I’ve very pleased to tell you that we are heading in the right direction once again!
Until next time, have a great week. Best of luck to our football boys tonight against Bolivar in their home opener. GO WILDCATS!
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