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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-07-09city council minutesBook 20 Page 227 SPECIAL MEETING July 9, 1979 7:30 p.m. The Meeting was called to order by Mayor Pasley. The Roll of the City Council was called with the following members present: McCloskey, Williams, Hopper, and Bauman. Absent: Olesen and Raymond. (HEARING ON PROPOSED USES OF GENERAL REVENUE SHARING AND DISCUSSION ON THE BUDGET) The Mayor explained that the purpose of this Special Meeting was for two reasons: to get input from the public with regard to proposed uses of General Revenue Sharing and to present the - proposed budget for public input and discussion. Councilwoman Williams was responsible for the preparation of the proposed budget which will be shown on the screen with an overhead projector. Councilwoman Williams is the Chairman of the Finance Committee and was largely responsible for the preparation of the budget. The notice that appeared in the local newspaper to notify the public was as follows: HEARING ON PROPOSED USES OF GENERAL REVENUE SHARING The City of Caldwell, Idaho, will hold a Public Hearing at the City Hall Council Chambers at 704 Blaine, Caldwell, Idaho, on July 9, 1979 at 7:30 p.m. and on July 10, 1979 at 12:00 Noon for the purpose of obtaining written and oral comment from the public on the proposed uses of revenue sharing funds in the upcoming budget for Fiscal Year 1979 -80. All interested citizens' groups, senior citizens and .senior citizen organizations are encouraged to attend the hearing. Persons attending the hearing shall have the right to provide written and oral comments and suggestions regarding possible uses of revenue sharing funds. Amount of unappropriated revenue sharing funds in trust fund $ 250,498.00 Amount of revenue sharing funds expected during FY 1979 -80 264,745.00 Councilwoman Williams stated that a little different approach was used this year in preparing the proposed budget. It was prepared on tax funds, enterprise funds, and on dedicated funds. The proposed budget was prepared on slides to show on the overhead projector. She further explained that since the City deals with services more than anything else, a great deal of the budget was salaries. The total salary budget, including the Library, amounted to $2,386,000.00; the fringe benefits were $437,376.00 for a total salary budget of $2,437,762.00. The budget was prepared by line items that have been submitted by the Department Heads and the City Council has gone over every line item of this budget. This was a tentative budget and the Council now needed any input that the public might have with regard to this budget and with regard to the Revenue Sharing uses. She further commented that it would be necessary for the Council to close this budget and the Revenue Sharing expenses within ten days and the purpose of the meeting was for any suggestions that the public might have with regard to either the budget or the Revenue Sharing. The Mayor then presented the tentative budget on an overhead projector for the public to observe and make any comments that they cared to make in regard to it. The Mayor had slides prepared showing the salaries and the fringe benefits broken down into each fund. He pointed out the amounts, the fringe benefits, and the number of employees in each Department. The Council discussed several of the funds presented and any questions from the audience were answered as the Mayor progressed through the slide presentation. Book 20 Page 228 After the slide presentation, Councilman McCluskey was recognized and stated that he would like to commend the Mayor for the presentation as it was the best he had ever seen. The Mayor then asked if there was any questions from the audience with regard to the regular budget before going into the Revenue Sharing. One member of the audience asked just what the fringe benefits consisted of. Councilwoman Williams answered that this included Social Security, Retirement, Workmen's Compensation and Unemployment Insurance:, FICA, and Medical. Ellen Marks from the Statesman asked if the City anticipated anymore people being laid off this year. Councilwoman Williams answered that the salaries included in this budget were the present salaries and if no one gets any increases, they did not anticipate any layoffs this year. Ellen Marks also asked what else had been cut back. Councilwoman Williams pointed out that there was not much Capital Improvements and Councilman McCluskey further pointed. out that there was an extreme cutback if you take the inflationary dollar into consideration. Other than Revenue Sharing monies, there just was not much to spend on Capital Improvements. Councilman Hopper stated that 27% for fringe benefits for the City was really not so much. when you consider that in the private sector it was running anywhere from thirty to thirty -five percent. He did not feel that the City was out of line with this percentage. The Mayor then requested that Councilwoman Williams present the proposed uses of the Revenue Sharing monies. She informed the audience that the City of Caldwell had some equipment that was bought on a lease purchase. The City does not want to go into the to owing on this equipment as they would like to be completely out of debt. They budgeted within the Revenue Sharing this year to pay off every one of these pieces of equipment. This equipment was things that the City of Caldwell needed. Much of it was in the Street Department, but there was one in the Parks Department and one in the Golf Department. Also, they would like to budget in the Revenue Sharing a sewer study that was being done by the Assistant Engineer that the City needed for sewer extensions. The - Mayor explained that this was from Linden to Ustick, somewhere betwee the railroad tracks and Cleveland Boulevard on Dearborn Street going South., plus a large pumping station close to the Meat Packers. Other items the Council would like to budget Revenue Sharing monies for were: Irrigation tiling, accessories for the well on Spruce Street and Montana Avenue; a sprinkling system for a new area that will be opened at the Cemetery; the City needs a new Fire Engine; monies to pay off the Local Improvements District on Kimball Avenue; there was requests to cover the Charolais barns for shows that are held there; the Rodeo Board would like to have restrooms so the Fieldhouse will not have to be left open when they have their shows; a rotary mower was needed at the Cemetery which the Sexton felt would do the work of about three other mowers; the Street Department needs a front end loader which the Department uses for many things. Councilwoman Williams then stated that these were some of the things that the City Council felt were needed. She then asked if there was any suggestions from members of the audience as to uses for the Revenue Sharing monies. Ellen Marks asked if there was money to do all of these things and if there would be any monies left. Councilwoman Williams said that there was enough monies for these suggestions and she would hope to have money left. Councilman McCluskey pointed out that the City of Caldwell does not feel that the Revenue Sharing money will be available again. This was just assumption on the part of the City Council., but they do not believe that Congress will pass the law for the Revenue Sharing again. Councilwoman Bauman stated that the Council hoped to have a contingency, as it was such a bare bone budget, for any emergency that might happen in any department and this may have to come out of Revenue Sharing as the money was not available anywhere else. Book 20 Page 229 Alice Dunlap was recognized and agreed that the contingency was a good idea as you cannot foresee what might happen. She mentioned the window that they had shot out at the Library and how expensive it was to replace and the possibility of the cost being so much higher for such an emergency in the coming year. One member of the audience asked if there would be copies of this proposed budget for the public. The Mayor explained that it would be published in the paper and that the formal public hearing would be on the 7th of August and the first notification in the newspaper would be on the 21st of July. So far the copies the Council had were work copies, but copies of the budget would be available for the public to inspect as soon as the Council was prepared for the appropriation ordinance to be presented for approval. Since there was no more input from the audience with regard to the uses of the Revenue Sharing monies or the regular budget, the Mayor declared the Public Hearing closed. Since there was no more business to be presented at this time before the City Council., the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 8:20 P.M. APPROVED AS written THIS 16th DAY OF July , 1979. Mayor bu �� r Councilman -- oU 'lman Cou'ncilmaft' ounc 1 an Councilman ATTEST: City Clerk `�