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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/16/2006CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORK SESSION 16 FEBRUARY 2006 The South Burlington City Council held a budget work session on Thursday, 16 February 2006, at 7:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members Present: J. Condos, Chair; C. Smith, M. Boucher, D. O'Rourke Also Present: C. Hafter, City Manager; D. Gravelin, Assistant City Manager; D. Brent, Fire Chief; L. Graham, Police Chief, T. Hubbard, Recreation Department Director; L. Murphy, B. Gardner, Community Library. 1. City Charter Requirements: Mr. Hafter reviewed the Charter requirements and limitations. He noted that the City operating budget increases by 2.1%, which is within the 5% Charter limit. This means that the operating budget tax rate can be 56.6, which it is. Last year's total budget was $10, 134,000. The proposed 2006-7 budget is $10,641,000, a 5% increase. The total budget is up 4.3%, and the tax rate is up 1.9% (1.2 cents). Mr. Hafter noted that health insurance was up less than expected (1.5%, but liability and worker's compensation insurances are skyrocketing. Mr. Hafter expressed gratitude to department heads for keeping their budgets in check. Mr. Hafter then reviewed budgets for individual departments and entities: 2. City Council: General expenses are up $1500. The VLCT rate is up 3 cents per capita which raises the total from $12,200 to $13,100. Mr. Hafter said this is still a valid expenditure as membership saves significantly on insurances. The Land Acquisition fund reserve will receive $5000. This money is used for appraisals of land the city may acquire. The Open Space Fund will receive $151,000, which will be balanced with revenue. 3. City Manager: There is a salary increase of 3% (all departments). The City Hall Improvement Fund is down $4000, as the building will be torn down to make way for the new Police facility. The budget includes a new computer for the Assistant City Manager and a new chair for the Secretary. 4. Recreation Department: Mr. Hubbard said the budget shows an overall decrease of $591 aside from salaries. Mr. Condos raised the possibility of combining Recreation with Parks instead of having Parks fall under Public Works. Mr. Hubbard agreed with the wisdom of this and noted the city has a lot of money invested in its parks. He said he would like to establish a master plan for all the city parks. Members also cited public comments about the poor conditions in some parks. Mr. Hubbard also felt there should be a long-term maintenance plan for the rec path (there are now 17 miles of path in the city). This year, they will be taking money from impact fees to maintain the rec path, as there is nothing in the Parks budget to do this. 5. Fire/Ambulance: Chief Brent said the only changes to his budget are for capital expenses. He has reestablished the Vehicle Replacement Fund in anticipation of future needs. Capital expenses also include the 4-5 year purchase of new turnout gear. The Chief reported that the renovation of the building is going along well. They are also waiting for the new turnout gear, which is expected in March. Upcoming projects in the Department include: formation of a "New Truck Committee" for when that eventuality arises, occupancy of the new space, updating the ambulance fee schedule, union negotiations, and maintaining of training programs. A survey of "challenges" and "opportunities" revealed the following: Challenges:  City vs. Department growth Training/certification demand Number of Firefighters vs. size of buildings Opportunities: Increased federal funding Increased Community Relations CPR Training (7 members of the Department are being trained as instructors) Public access to defibrillators/training for use Closer relationships with other departments (especially Police and Public Works). Mr. Boucher asked whether the city has asked various departments for incremental costs For the City Center, etc. Mr. Hafter said that would be done when there is more specific information on building sizes, etc. 6. Police Department: Chief Graham said the Police budget includes funding for an additional Dispatcher because overtime for that position has been running so high. There are also increases in gasoline and equipment maintenance. Mr. Hafter noted the budget does not include funding for accreditation for next year. He said he would like a discussion on this when a new Chief is on board. He has maintained money for this in his account if the decision is to pursue accreditation. Chief Graham noted that yesterday he got a draft of what the interior of the new building could look like. He hopes to present this next week. Mr. Condos thanked Chief Graham for his almost 37 years of service to the city. 7. Community Library: Ms. Murphy introduced Betsy Gardner, the new acting Chair of the Library Board of Trustees. Several community members have expressed interest in serving on the Board, which is now down to 5 members. The Library budget is up 2%. This includes a new "Adult Services Librarian" position, which will include a lot of community outreach. There is also a 5% increase for books. Ms. Murphy then discussed a study being done on space needs and how to address then. There are 3 options: renovate, expand or build a new building. Focus forums have elicited some interesting comments. There was also a random survey mailing. Ms. Murphy cited problems with having to upgrade computers with no prior warning from the school. Fortunately, they were able to get the computers through the Freeman grant, as money for the computers had not been budgeted. 8. Administrative: Mr. Gravelin said that some of Ms. Hinds' time has been allocated to the grants she is working on. 9. General Ledger/Payroll: Mr. Gravelin said a little more has been allocated for computer services. 10. Assessors/Tax Office: The approximate cost of the reappraisal will be $425,000. The next budget session will be on 23 February, 7 p.m. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.