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By Carol Arnett

Mayor Robert Lowery formally submitted his proposed 2011 budget to the city council at last week’s council meeting that included a one per-cent pay hike for city employees. The city’s fiscal year runs from Dec.  1 to Nov.  30.

The council will hold public hearings and work sessions on the budget. They will make any changes they see fit, and vote on the budget before Nov.  30.

The $29.7 million proposed budget is down from the 2010 budget of $32.4 million. The proposed budget has $100,000 more revenue than expenditures.

Taxes are the largest revenue generator, bringing in $15.2 million. Sales taxes account for $6.6 million, while utility taxes account for $5.7 million, and gasoline taxes account for $2 million. Cigarette and road and bridges taxes account for the remainder of the tax revenue.

Other sources of revenue include licenses and permits, bringing in $1.3 million, and recreation, including the theater, pools, and concession sales, which are projected to bring in $1.6 million.

Miscellaneous items, including the municipal court, bringing in $3 million, account for $5 million.

The department with the largest expenditure is the police department, with $10.2 million, and the public works department, with $3.9 million. Next is the administrative department, with expenditures of $2.5 million, the community and community centers, with $1.98 million, other parks, with $1.1 million.

Separate funds in the budget include the Capital Improvement Fund, with $3 million in revenue. $2 million of this fund will be spent on street improvements.

The Park Improvement Fund will have $2.8 million in revenue from the Park Improvement Tax. $900,000 will go for salaries, and most of the remainder will go to new equipment and repairs and maintenance.

In his Budget Message, Lowery said that this budget did not include a tax increase, and he did not anticipate an increase in the future. Lowery also said that while the economy is doing poorly, there is reason to be optimistic. “We are one of the few cities in the region with new housing going in,” Lowery said.

“We are looking daily at receiving stimulus money, and we have received some,” Lowery said. He said the crime rate continues to decrease.

Lowery recommends a 1% increase in pay for all employees. The employees took a 3% pay cut in last year’s budget. He said the workforce had been reduced due to attrition.

“We have a healthy reserve of $5 million,” Lowery said. However, he added, he does not want to use the reserves unless absolutely necessary.

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