Sweet Home’s proposed 2010-11 budgets for the Police Department and library show minor changes after review by the city Budget Committee, with the exception of a half-million-dollar transfer to pay off the police bond.
The Budget Committee reviewed the two funds May 4.
Depending on how the current levy election, a request to extend the operating levy for five years, turns out for the Police Department, the city is planning to pay off the bonds used to construct the Police Services Building in 2000.
If the levy passes and they determine the impact of other local option levies, city officials plan to pay off the bonds. If the levy fails, they plan to retain the cash to extend the amount of time the department can operate without a levy.
The payoff amount is budgeted at $547,000, taken from the unappropriated ending fund balance, which is cash carried over year to year. The payoff will reduce the department’s budgeted ending fund balance from $1 million to $366,000.
The department’s overall budget proposal is $3.35 million, down from $3.44 million.
The bulk of the decreased budgeted revenue is in the cash carryover from last year, down to $1.39 million from $1.42 million and $30,000 less in grants, while the department will assume School District 55’s full share of the cost of the school resource officer, $42,000, this year. Last year, the city covered $20,000 of the district’s share.
Spending is $1.9 million, up about $22,000 for police services. Dispatch is at $477,000, about $51,000.
Police spending is up in personnel with salary step increases budgeted along with increases in insurance. Capital outlays are down to $22,000, from $99,000, and include lease payments for patrol vehicles and DNA evidence processing and storage equipment.
Dispatch services include increases in personnel costs, from $381,000 to $431,000. The increases are reflected in step increases, insurance rate increases and vacation and retirement cash-out programs.
The library is budgeting $253,000, down from $266,000. The decrease in revenue includes about $13,000 in its beginning fund balance, or cash carryover.
Decreases on the expenditure side are in the unappropriated ending fund balance, $15,000, down from $37,600. This revenue is carried over to the next year.
Increases in spending are reflected in nearly $3,000 in step increases, while insurance payments are decreasing.
The library is planning to spend about $7,000 more for materials and services, reflecting increases for technical services for the new automation, repairs and maintenance.
The committee will next review Public Works fund at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the council chambers.