SPRINGDALE : Council tackles budget for 2009
Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2008
SPRINGDALE — Budget season has officially arrived, and aldermen are talking with each department head before recommending changes to Mayor Jerre Van Hoose’s final, $ 29. 9 million proposal.
Aldermen are expected to approve the budget Dec. 23, but by state law they have until Feb. 1 to adopt it. Mayor-elect Doug Sprouse, who defeated Alderman Mike Overton in last week’s runoff election, is sitting in meetings before taking office in January.
Like every year, the Police and Fire departments are the city’s biggest expenses. Together they consume 69 percent of the general fund. But large and important departments include the street fund, parks and recreation, administration and district court.
The most prominent feature of this year’s budget is Van Hoose’s proposal for acrossthe-board raises and longevity increases for all city employees at the cost of $ 1. 4 million.
Tuesday, aldermen reviewed budgets for Springdale District Court, city attorney, the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, and parks and recreation. On Monday, aldermen reviewed the budgets for the Fire Department, Bluff Cemetery, Springdale Municipal Airport and the administration. Next week aldermen will look at proposals for the Police Department, Planning and Community Development, Buildings Department and the Springdale Library.
The City Council hasn’t made any recommendations, but that’s likely to change before the budget is adopted.
The museum has had a good year, museum director Allyn Lord told aldermen. The roof replacement is complete and the museum will reopen next week. Before the museum closed earlier this year, attendance was high, Lord said. The Shiloh Meeting Hall, known for decades as the Odd Fellows Lodge, is also in the midst of an exterior renovation.
Interim parks director Rick McWhorter presented his budget request of $ 1. 4 million.
“There’s a learning curve go- ing through this, but I learned a lot,” said McWhorter, who has run the department since Don Bohannon retired. He plans to bring back the spring soccer program, and said if he becomes director, he will make major personnel changes to save public dollars.
City Attorney Jeff Harper appeared before the council with his request for $ 700, 000. His 2009 proposal is essentially the same as that for 2008. The slight increase from last year is due to the raises sought by Van Hoose.
“I don’t have any problem with his budget,” Alderman Bobby Stout said.
To meet current services, Van Hoose is using $ 4. 1 million from the Capital Improvement Program and $ 1. 2 million from the general fund reserve.
The sales tax that funds the capital and general funds is expected to raise $ 9. 7 million this year. In a typical year, 75 percent of the tax goes to the capital program, and 25 percent goes to the general fund. But under Van Hoose’s proposal, 42 percent — too much, according to some aldermen — would be pledged to daily operations.
For the 12-month period ending Nov. 30, the sales tax raised $ 10. 5 million.
Aldermen have asked chief city engineer Ben Peters to provide a detailed account of the capital fund.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
