There was a lone Item for Discussion–the Fiscal 2013-2014 Budget–at the City of Morrison Council Meeting, on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, in the Whiteside County Board Room, 400 N. Cherry Street, Morrison, IL. Alerman Pat Zuidema was excused.
Mayor Roger Drey asked if Aldermen would be able to switch the next budget meeting from Thursday, March 14, to Wednesday, March 13, “to enable everyone to be here.” It was agreed to change the date.
City Administrator Jim Wise introduced an “overview of the budget,” which included “the goals and objectives of the Departments.” He told Aldermen they have 32 days before the next budget meeting, urging them “to talk with the employees and ask why they want [certain] things.”
Alderman Marti Wood asked, “Will we talk at another meeting, with the Aldermen, so we can [share] what others have heard?”
CA Wise answered, “Yes, at the next meeting. We will spend two or three hours here.”
Mayor Drey concurred, “This gives you a month to talk with people and ask questions, [then] come back to discuss.”
Using 17 slides, CA Wise conducted a PowerPoint presentation based on “optimism. That’s the key.” He noted the whimsical cover sheet of “a smiley pie chart walking dogs down a [rainy] path into the sunshine.” Just as the scene is looking brighter, “So’s our fiscal health,” he said.
Afterwards, binders holding the proposed budget were given to the Council. “We greatly reduced the size of the budget,” CA Wise added. “I omitted lines that aren’t funded [any longer after at least two years of non-use]. We need to discuss the budget and get this into Ordinance form by the end of April.”
A few questions were addressed, but Mayor Drey and CA Wise stressed that Aldermen should study the budget changes over the next two weeks. They were again instructed to make contact with City Officers, staff, and administrators, asking questions of them to clarify requests.
Following are highlights from the presentation.
- General Fund expenses consist of labor (74%), healthcare (11%), purchased professional services (10%), and goods and services to the public (9%.)
- The State collects and will distributes taxes and franchise fees to us, in the proposed amount of $1,115,900. However, State tax payments lag about three months, and income tax payments run seven months behind. There has been no State revenue paid yet from the gaming machines at Fat Boy’s.
- Local generated revenue from property, utility, and telecommunications taxes is estimated at $800,894.
- Income totals of $1,916,794 do not reflect all fees, fines, sales, and refuse collection monies.
- General Fund expenses for Public Services include Police ($457,280), Streets ($330,203), and Parks and Recreation ($210,350.) The Police Department requests hiring one Sworn Officer, bringing the force to seven SO’s. Public Works is “extremely overworked” and requests hiring one skilled employee. Two retirements are expected in FY2014/2015, so three new employees will be needed on, or before, FY2016 (May 2015.) To “extend the blacktop road life,” sealcoating has been budgeted at $40,000 or less.
- According to Randy Gerlach, Grove Hill Cemetery has only 350 unsold plots; CA Wise proposed increasing land holdings for interments by transfering Legion Field to Grove Hill. There is potential to sell 250+ plots. He said the City can level a tax, but it would only generate about $24,000 and upset the community.
- Administrative budget changes include eliminating services to private rights-of-way and initiating prairie restoration at Waterworks Park, French Creek Road, and Legion Field to eliminate expensive, continual mowing. CA Wise also suggested eliminating the printing of meeting packets, instead using electronic transfer of data via the internet, because “80% of printing in the office is for meeting packets.”
- Future grant income listed in the budget includes $350,000 from the housing grant; $50,000 from Friends of the Parks for the Morrison-Rockwood Trail; $100,000 from another grant–totaling $500,000. “Increases in revenue are going to be incremental and small,” CA Wise concluded. “To do significant projects, like roads, we’ll need to talk about how” to fund them in the future.