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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/06/1978BUDGET HEARING APRIL 6, 1978 The South Burlington City Council and School Board held a budget hearing on Thursday, April 6, 1978 at 7:30 p.m. in the South Burlington High School auditorium. Members Present Council- Paul Farrar, Chairman; Michael Flaherty, Martin Paulsen, Frank Armstrong, William Burgess School Board- Dave Miller, Chairman; Jeanne Kennedy, Amy Bond, Viols Luginbuhl Member Absent School Board- Dave Gravel Others Present William Szymanski, City Manager; Frederick Tuttle, Superintendent of Schools; Sidney Poger, James Goddette, John Lucas, Karin Larson, Ethel Schuele, Vee Gordon, Bruce O'Neill, Jerry Olson, Robert Babcock, Betty Bailey, Margaret Picard, Catherine Hayden, Helen Paquin, Leo LeCours, Richard Carter, Bruce Ladeau, Mary-Barbara Maher, Jean Stone, William Stone, Peter Jacob, George Brooks, Norma Unsworth, Ray Unsworth, Donald Whitten, Richard Ward, David Boehm, Dale Kleppinger, Paul Graves, James Crevier Budget - City Council Mr. Farrar said that this year taxes would be twice as much but that the tax rate will be cut in half, so everything will come out even. The tax numbers will be 1/2 and the valuation of property will be twice as much as it was last year. He explained the procedure used in preparing the city budget and then went through it explaining what had been changed and added this year. Mr. Dale Kleppinger asked if the Council gave the City Manager any guidelines in preparing the budget which he then passed to department heads and Mr. Szymanski replied that he did tell department heads what the limitations were. Mrs. Maher asked if any department had asked for a less than 5% increase in the budget and was told that they had. Karin Larson asked about pedestrian signals for Shelburne and Williston Roads and Mr. Farrar said that they were funded for 1979-80 in the Capital Budget and that this year the city would have to make a choice on whether to have a bond issue to pay for them or to fund them out of next year's Operating Budget. He said they should be constructed the summer following the coming one. Mrs. Larson said that 153 signstures had been collected in the past three days requesting that money be appropriated for the signals and she submitted the petition to the Council. Mr. Farrar said that the city would request funding under Urban Systems for these signals and the Council agreed unanimously that they wanted them. Mr. Szymanski said that the city expected to fund $214,440 of its operating budget with revenue sharing funds and $25,143 of the operating budget with federal anti-recession funds. Mr. Farrar then looked at the Capital Budget, saying that the extension of sewer lines to Country Club Estates had been accelerated 1 year, as had the Dorset St. widening and the construction of a police facility. Construction of city office space has been accelerated by 2 years. The School Board has submitted requests for two projects - a garage addition in 2 years and an elementary school in 1986-87. In addition to that, he said, they have taken action to inform the Highway Department of the city's intent to proceed with Williston Road projects and at past meetings the Council has requested action on additional interchanges on the Interstate. The Council is also considering advancing bonding for the widening of Williston Road by 1 year. Mr. Farrar thanked everyone for coming. Budget - School Board Mr. Miller thanked everyone for being here and said that Mr. Tuttle would go over the details of the budget. He explained how the Board arrived at its budget. Mr. Tuttle said the school district had stayed within the limits of a 5% increase in the tax rate. He said that the amount of State Aid South Burlington would receive had declined this year and was less than the figure they had used while working on the budget. In light of that, there will have to be some further adjustments made to maintain a balanced budget. He then went through the budget, explaining why it had gone up or down. Mr. James Grevier said that money had been alloted for 1 new school bus and he asked why there had not been some alloted for other busses. Mr. Tuttle said that busses were replaced as needed and that it would be done through the operating budget. He said that one of the two spare 10 year old busses will be disposed of. Mr. Crevier asked about routing and was told that they try to make maximum use of the vehicles, upon which are placed great demands. Mrs. Maher asked for the Board's reaction to rumblings about repeal of the charter section which allows for a 5% increase in the budget since the Board always seems to ask for the maximum increase. Mr. Miller said that the Board tries to live within the rules of the community and he said that when they start budget work, they do not ask how much the charter allows, but rather, start with the budgets they had last year. Mrs. Bond added that the Board does not have a set pattern, asking for the maximum increase this year while last year they were under that and the year before they were over the allowable increase. Mrs. Luginbuhl said that the Board has difficulty making up a budget with the Legislature vacillating on State Aid and finally discussing it late in the session. If the figures change from the estimates, it can do a lot of damage, she said. Mr. Babcock said the Legislature did not like the Department of Education giving out estimates without warning towns that the information is inadequate. Mr. Miller said that in order to prepare a budget, the towns had to have some information. The meeting was declared adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.