City Budget: Council invites public to participate in city budget debate
On Aug. 18, Sept. 2 and Sept. 15, the City Council will hold public hearings on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009.
The proposed budget is the leanest in years. The city is projecting overall revenues to be 7.6 percent lower than the current year, and sales tax revenue will grow by only 1 percent.
Total operating expenses will increase from about $240 million to $257 million. Total budgeted expenses will increase from about $394 million to $398, a one percent increase.
City Manager Bill Watkins writes in the introduction to the budget document that the city will have to “do better with what we have.”
A considerable percentage of the budget document deals with issues directly related to how business is conducted in Columbia.
Watkins is proposing restructuring Regional Economic Development Inc., or REDI, and freeing resources to hire an executive director with special skills in attracting high-tech employers. Two current REDI positions will be eliminated and a new assistant director position created, for a net loss of one full-time position.
“My expectation is that this leaner organization will work strategically with the University of Missouri and other partners to fully exploit the new job potential at Discovery Ridge,” Watkins wrote.
He also said that the city leadership must support existing businesses. “One way we can do this,” he wrote, “is to reduce the amount of wasteful time that the business community spends in our permitting process. I am committed to opening up the ‘black box’ of government decision-making and adopting an efficient, one-stop approach to issuing business and development permits.”
Watkins proposes to create a new Business Ombudsman position, budgeted in the City Manager’s office, “with the expectation that we will break down bureaucratic silos and nurture a creative business environment without cutting corners or sacrificing safety.”
The following are some highlight of particular interest to business people in Columbia:
Streets and Sidewalks in the list of Capital Projects:
• Maguire Boulevard—North Boulevard to Stadium Boulevard—includes two new bridges, and street and storm water improvements
• Mexico Gravel Road—Vandiver to Missouri Route PP—reconstruct existing two lanes with sidewalks on both sides
• Providence Road—Vandiver to Blue Ridge—includes bridge over Bear Creek. Construct two lanes
• Highway 740 corridor East to Interstate 70—right of way acquisition
• Continue to construct intersection improvements, as well as eight GetAbout projects, funded with Non Motorize grant
Electric Utility
• A 5 percent rate increase
• A $9.1 million increase in the cost of purchased power due to changes in contracts
• Capital outlay is down $506, 239 due to budget constraints
Airport
• A new airport superintendent will assist the airport manager in planning and supervising the overall activities at the airport, including safety and facility maintenance and inspecting operations to ensure compliance with standards set by the FAA
• Increase contractual services by $25,000 for major maintenance crack sealing done every four to five years
• Increase intergovernmental charges for self-insurance due to litigation
• Capital plan for airport includes use of transportation sales tax for five projects dealing with structural and cosmetic upgrades to the facilities.
Solid Waste Utility
• Includes a commercial rate increase of 20 percent. This is part of a three-year-plan to move toward recovering the cost of providing the service.
Water
• Basic water connection fees will increase from $500 to $600.