City releases proposed budget for 2007-2008

Budget & Evaluation - May 21, 2007
Contact: Ann Jones, 727-2639

The city’s efforts to control stormwater run-off would be significantly increased and 10 more detectives would be added for investigating serious crimes under the $385.2 million budget that City Manager Lee Garrity sent today to the City Council.

The budget would enhance these and other city services, and increase the city’s support for the arts, without an increase in the city property-tax rate of 48.5 cents per $100.

Overall, the budget allocates $273.3 million for operations and debt service, and $112 million for capital projects. The proposed budget includes $166.2 million for the General Fund, which is the city’s primary fund and accounts for most tax-supported services.

The City Council’s Finance Committee will begin reviewing the budget this week. The council is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the budget on June 18. By state law, the council must adopt a budget for 2007-2008 by June 30. The budget would take effect July 1.

To address flooding in low-lying areas of the city during heavy rains and improve water quality, the budget would add four employees to the city’s Stormwater Division and calls for $11.9 million in capital spending for basin studies and drainage improvement projects. At least $24 million will be needed for improvement projects over the next 10 years, Garrity said in his budget message to the City Council.

The capital-spending plan also would set aside $500,000 a year for the city’s share of drainage improvement projects on private property. Garrity also wants to increase the city’s share of the project cost to 70 percent, up from 60 percent currently, and to increase the project cap per owner to $50,000, up from $30,000.

The city’s stormwater program is financed out of stormwater fees assessed to property owners. The proposed budget calls for a new, four-tier fee structure for residential customers. Residential property owners with less than 2,000 square feet of impervious roof, driveway, sidewalk and patio areas on their property pay the same stormwater fee of $4.25 a month. The average homeowner, with 2,000 to 4,000 square

feet of impervious surface, would pay $4.50 a month. Homeowners with 4,001 to 6,000 square feet would pay $6.75 a month, and residents with more than 6,000 square feet would pay $9 a month.

Rates for commercial and institutional customers would increase to $69.25 per acre of impervious surface to ensure they contribute the same proportion (57 percent) of stormwater revenues as before, based on the total acreage of impervious surfaces in the city. Currently, businesses and institutions pay $40.60 per impervious acre.

Pubic safety would be enhanced through the addition of 10 detectives and three fire inspectors. The additional detectives would allow the city to create a homicide cold-case unit, make more timely contact with robbery victims, conduct trend analysis of burglaries in specific areas, and increase the use of computer forensics in the fraud unit.

The three additional fire inspectors would be assigned to the city’s busiest fire stations, relieving the fire fighters at those stations of their inspection duties so they can concentrate on training and emergency response.

Traffic congestion would be addressed by the addition of two traffic signal technicians and plans to install traffic signals at 37 intersections. About 90 percent of the cost would be financed by the state and private developers. Two other positions, a bicycle/pedestrian coordinator and an engineering technician, would be added and financed by the county and federal transportation grants.

Recreation would be enhanced with a proposal to keep Salem Lake open seven days a week, in response to growing use of the lake and its grounds. The proposed budget also includes money to replace the golf carts at Winston Lake Golf Course.

The budget includes money to increase the city’s minimum hourly pay to $9 per hour and sets aside $500,000 in market pay adjustments for selected fire and police positions. $440,000 would be added to account for classification changes for certain positions in various departments. All city employees would be eligible to receive pay raises of up to 3.5 percent, based on performance.

The budget proposes $512,500 in grants to community agencies. City support to the Arts Council Inc. would increase $50,000, to $200,000. Grants to SciWorks, the River Run International Film Festival, the YMCA Youth Incentive Program and the Experiment in Self Reliance Inc. would remain at the same level as this year. The National Black Theatre Festival, a bi-annual event, would receive $150,000, the same as in 2005. In addition, $25,000 would be allocated to the Recreation Department for youth programs related to the festival.

Improvements recommended in the six-year capital plan include $4 million for a new landfill for construction and demolition debris, $5.5 million for phase 2 of the Police Department’s new training and evidence-storage facility, $900,000 for continued construction of the Muddy Creek Greenway, and $54.1 million for reconstructing the R.A. Thomas Water Treatment Plant.

How to participate in the budget process

• Copies of the proposed budget are available for review at public libraries and City Hall, 101 N. Main St. Suite 117. Copies of the budget will also be available at www.cityofws.org Budget web page starting May 21.

• The City Council’s Finance Committee will hold workshops on the budget May 24, 29, 30 and 31, June 11 and June 12 (if needed). All workshops will start at 4 p.m. in the Council Committee Room (Room 239) on the second floor of City Hall, except on June 12, which will start at 2 p.m. These workshops are open to the public but are for the purpose of allowing council members to study the proposed budget.

• The Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7:30 p.m. June 7 in the Council Chamber, Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall.

• The City Council will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7:30 p.m. June 18 in the Council Chamber, Room 230 on the second floor of City Hall.