Gov't
City Budget Tightens
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Expenses Up, Revenues Slowed
The 2018/19 General Fund Budget Mayor Shelton will present to the City Council for a vote on June 28th projects a $650,000 increase in spending, compared to a $177,000 growth in income. Sales taxes, which make up almost 90% of Central’s General Fund revenue, have increased an average of $458,000 per year over the past four years, but are projected to increase by only $114,000 in the coming year.
The proposed $6.8 million in expenditures is a 42% increase in annual spending over the four years of the current administration. In 2013/14 the city spent $4.8 million for General operations.
Central has built a healthy emergency cash reserve since becoming a city, adding an average of $2.2 million annually over the last six years to that surplus. The projected addition to cash reserves under Mayor Shelton’s budget is $1.5 million, the smallest in at least seven years.
Among the largest increases proposed by Mayor Shelton are the budgets for the Central Police Department and the city services contract with IBTS. The Mayor proposes a 32% increase in the Police Department’s operating budget from its current $497,000 to $655,000 for 2018/19. The proposed budget also adds $428,000 to the contract with IBTS for city services. This increase includes almost $200,000 for IBTS to take over all Economic Development and Special Events for the city.
The complete proposed budget can be viewed on the City’s website at www.CentralGov.com under a link for the June 12th Council meeting in Public Notices. The City Council will vote to approve or reject the Mayor’s budget at the June 26th Council meeting.
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