At Monday’s regular meeting, the Belleville City Council set a public hearing for 7:30 p.m., Monday, June 6, to consider the 2011-12 city budgets.
The new fiscal year begins July 1 and so a balanced budget must be adopted by then.
At the end of the council’s final budget workshop on May 11, City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said, “It’s fair to say a balanced budget has been presented … But in the future, there will be changes and amendments in the figures.”
“I’d like to see the capital expenditures reevaluated,” said Councilwoman Kim Tindall at the May 11 session. “Buying a new DPW vehicle is not necessary now.”
At Monday’s meeting, the general fund budget that will presented to the public on June 6 showed revenues of $1,980,325 and expenditures of $1,979,828, leaving a positive $497, which will be added to the present fund balance for a proposed fund balance of $182,364.
The budget originally had a deficit of $165,128, but that was eliminated through cuts worked out in a series of budget workshops.
Increases of $47,000 in revenue was brought through:
• Increase in tax levy by 0.226 additional mills to the maximum allowed by law without a vote, which will bring $13,500;
• Increase in certificate of occupancy fees (based on 50 a year), which will bring $5,000;
• Statutory shared revenue expected, $20,000;
• Reimbursement for fire service on hazard waste calls, $2,000;
• Police Department charge for vehicle release (based on 150 per year), $4,500; and
• Grass and weed cutting related to abandoned homes, $2,000.
The cuts to expenditures included:
• Elimination of a permanent part-time position that served both the police and treasury departments, $47,000, reduced by $10,000 because of potential unemployment associated with layoff;
• Employee health care contribution of 10%, $23,125;
• Retiree health care contribution of 10%, $3,000;
• Police contracted services, $4,200;
• Police reserves, $2,500;
• Volunteer fire services, $4,800;
• Fire department misc. expense, $300;
• DPW misc. expense, $2,000;
• Reduction to city museum contribution, $8,000;
• Senior transportation, $20,000;
• Eliminate janitor services, $7,200;
• Reduce cemetery part-time wages, $6,500;
These reductions total $118,625, leaving the budget $497 in the black.
The proposed budget is based on a property tax levy of 18.126 mills.
At the May 11 meeting, Police Chief Gene Taylor said the females in the police department office discussed taking a cut in their pay to save the job of their co-worker. He said with the job eliminated, this will bring more stress on the two clerks left and will also periodically pull him off the street for clerical work, leaving fewer officers on the road.
Council members discussed leading by example and foregoing their pay or giving it back. Or, instituting furlough days. Kollmeyer said all the employees already are taking a $2,000 pay cut to pay for their portion of health care.
The city will continue to look for ways to save money, including asking the school district to renegotiate the school resource officer.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council:
• Approved closing High Street from noon to about 4 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, for the seventh-annual Thunder Rolls in Belleville event that honors veterans and brings many motorcycles to town;
• Approved the Downtown Development Authority’s request to proceed with registering with the Wayne County Register of Deeds the easements for the Streetscape Project;
• Voted unanimously to support Councilwoman Kim Tindall’s new job as a freelance writer for The View. She said she will write only “fluff articles” and nothing to do with city council. She said she goes to events and takes pictures and earns extra money and won’t be covering anything to do with city government. Mayor Richard Smith said he does not feel it’s a conflict of interest. But former mayor Tom Fielder said the council can’t give blanket immunity to Tindall because something might come up that they would consider a conflict, like a vote on something she has published an opinion on. Fielder said they have a right to say it would be a conflict of interest for her to vote. City Manager Kollmeyer said Tindall will not divulge any confidential information. ViewEditor Austin Smith said Tindal is “wonderful” and he is enthusiastic about having her write for him, since he can’t attend all events;
• Heard Fielder say that during the Recreation Committee meeting that just ended Muriel Lyman volunteered to write a series of articles on city parks which they hope will be printed in local papers to let the people know what is available locally;
• Unanimously approved paying $51,675.91 in accounts payable and departmental expenditures in excess of $500: ICMA membership at $598.40; Michigan Municipal League dues at $2,389; and Valentine Tree for trimming the lake bank at Horizon Park, $1,750;
• Was informed the last meeting of the Strawberry Festival Committee before the festival is June 7 at 5:30 p.m. and the public is invited to attend; and
• Learned besides having the budget on the June 6 agenda, the council will be asked to give approval to a parade of military vehicles in conjunction with Thunder over Michigan at Willow Run Airport and sidewalk vendors for the upcoming Garden Walk.