- February 5, 2025
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City Council members are getting a head start on the planning for the upcoming fiscal year 2019 budget.
During the Tuesday, April 10, workshop council members discussed the possibilities of what the next budget could look like and what changes may need to take place.
City Manager Jake Johansson presented a possible budget that showed numbers staying the same but with the only difference being that one police officer and one janitor for the annex were added.
"I think that there's a quality of life element to all of this," Mayor Don Burnette said. "I really am not looking to go backwards on anything, especially when we start with public safety."
Councilman Drew Bastian said public safety was his number one concern when it comes to putting together the budget.
"I don't want to cut any services," Bastian said.
The budget model presented on Tuesday included a projection that the ad valorem rate would stay the same at 4.4881. City staff also projected a 3% increase on existing properties as well as an increase of 7.2% in growth. The current budget for fiscal year 2018 is $36,507,289 and staff will be building assumptions from this number.
Vice Mayor Scott Stiltner said the starting point for the budget needs to go in a direction that is different from last year.
"Our commitment is to maintain the level of services, maintain quality of life and maintain and honor commitments we have made in the coming budget year and that next," Stiltner said. "That's your starting point because anything other than that you're talking about cuts."
Councilman Chase Tramont said he would like to see what the budget would look like at the rollback rate but added they should take tax increases into consideration as well.
"Last year it was a 6.9 increase and the last year we also raised the stormwater fee 15%," Tramont said. "We're looking at a possible sales tax increase. At what point does any level of government say, 'Enough is enough, let's give these folks a break?'"
Councilman Bob Ford said the council should take the possibility of the homestead exemption and the half-cent sales tax into consideration adding that it will be difficult to assess what will be on the ballot and voted on by residents.
"We're facing a great deal of uncertainty," Ford said, adding, "we want to preserve what we have right now."
