The city of Sweet Home Budget Committee approved a $24 million budget Thursday night that included help for the beleaguered School District 55 budget to maintain the school resource officer position and pool programs through the summer.
The city and district split the cost, $80,000, of the school resource officer last year. The district cut the police officer in its budget two weeks ago, but Thursday, the city Budget Committee agreed to pay $60,000 this year. The district will contribute $10,000 and is seeking a $10,000 grant to cover the remainder next school year.
The committee also agreed to provide about $12,000 requested by District 55 Supt. Larry Horton to maintain pool programs throughout the summer.
General Fund
The city’s general fund was approved at a little less than $3 million, down more than $300,000 from last year, reflecting a decrease of about $300,000 in budgeted cash carryover from 2008-09 to 2009-10 and $60,000 in reduced revenue in building permit fees.
Among projects in the general fund this year is replacement of the floor in the city’s racquetball court at Northside Park. The rubber tiles will be removed and replaced with a wood floor, along with minor repairs. The court will be repainted, and the viewing area will be reopened.
Other work includes the bandstand at Sankey Park, with restoration as a historically accurate structure. The hut adjacent to the bandstand also will get a concrete ramp for access and window shutters that can be opened easily but provide security.
Security at Sankey Park continues to be a problem, Community Development Director Carol Lewis said. Electronic equipment will be reviewed and placed strategically to help reduce vandalism and destruction of park facilities.
Overall, the parks portion of the general fund is increasing by about $17,000 to $127,000, about two-thirds of it in increasing employee insurance costs.
Other expenses were carried over from last year, including $125,000 to pave the City Hall parking lot. The budget also includes $25,000 to paint the interior of City Hall and the City Hall Annex.
Overall, the general fund has no changes in staffing levels.
Reductions in spending are mostly reflected in about $36,000 in non-departmental capital outlays, $154,000 in the 2009-10 budgets; $100,000 in transfers to the city’s building reserve fund, budgeted at about $200,000 for 2009-10; and other smaller reductions throughout the fund.
Police Department
The Police Department is budgeting $3.5 million for 2009-10, nearly doubling its unappropriated ending fund balance, which is used as carryover to the following budget year.
Actual spending and staffing levels will remain about the same at around $2.9 million.
Budgeted capital outlays include a new patrol car, but Police Chief Bob Burford said the department may not purchase the car if it doesn’t need it.
The department is planning to spend approximately $50,000 in federal grant funds to purchase a scenario-based use-of-force training system. The system provides realistic life-sized video training.
Library
The library budget is decreasing from $290,000 to $266,000.
The majority of the revenue decrease includes nearly $20,000 less in cash carryover, down to $75,500, and about $10,000 in previously levied taxes, down to $1,884.
On the spending side, the unappropriated ending fund balance decreases from $62,000 to $38,000 and about $5,000 less in operating supplies, down to $30,000. The operating supplies budget is used to purchase books.
Personnel costs increase by $12,000 to $164,000.
The budget also includes money for a new wireless Internet system at the library and plans to spend some $40,000, from a donation, on automation.
Streets
Estimating a low cash carryover, $109,000 down from $350,000, and a decrease in gas tax revenues, from $394,000 to $376,000, for 2009-10, the budget reflects a $264,000 reduction in revenues and expenses in its state gas tax street maintenance fund.
The city handles basic street maintenance, on 22 miles of improved streets and 24 miles of unimproved streets, with this fund. The fund pays for asphalt patching, striping, sign maintenance, gravel street maintenance, street sweeping, brush removal, sanding, ice and snow removal, crack sealing and overlay preparation.
The budget includes a reduction of one worker.
A second street maintenance fund, based on nearly $1.5 million in revenues carried forward annually, the city is planning several projects, including paving on 47th and 49th avenues; a $130,000 grant project to replace a box culvert on 12th Avenue at Ames Creek; approximately $182,000 in federal “stimulus” funds; and $250,000 for a local improvement district in the area of Juniper Street and 32nd Avenue.
The fund increases from $1.9 million to $2.2 million, with an overall increase from $323,000 to $859,000 in projects.
The fund will have a budgeted unappropriated ending balance of $1.2 million, down from $1.5 million.
The path program includes $428,000, mostly in Oregon Department of Transportation grant funds, to build sidewalks along Long Street, from downtown to Hawthorne School.
Water, Wastewater and Storm Water
The new budget reflects an increase in water and wastewater rates, but those have not been adopted yet by the City Council.
Revenues from the water rates are budgeted at $1.43 million, up from $1.39 million, and the overall water budget increases from $1.95 million to $2.24 million. Overall staffing remains the same.
The budget for the water treatment plant increases by about $220,000 to $1.24 million reflecting increases in utility costs at the new facility, which is scheduled to go online this summer, and for debt payments on the new plant.
Revenues from wastewater rates increase from $1.69 million to $1.73 million, and the overall wastewater budget increases from $1.98 million to $2.41 million. Overall staffing remains unchanged.
The majority of the increase in the budget is in funds transferred to other funds, including the depreciation reserve fund, up to $150,000 from $10,000, and an expanded general operating contingency increasing from $4,000 to $144,000. The depreciation fund is used to replace existing parts of the sewer system.
The storm water fund adds one employee in 2009-10, offsetting the decrease in Public Works staffing in streets.
The fund budget increases by about $12,000 to $128,000. It is funded by about $61,000 in carryover and $66,000 in storm water fees, similar to last year.