City's draft budget shows $29.5M in 2015 revenue

The 2015 draft budget includes a small increase in revenues from the last fiscal year, but the Jefferson City mayor says it's still a tight budget.

Mayor Eric Struemph is expected to present his draft budget today at a special City Council meeting, which will then kick off the city's annual budget process.

The city's budget process has traditionally started in late July, but the city opted to hold off this year while waiting for the results of the Aug. 5 primary, where the transportation sales tax failed, and the September veto session.

Struemph said he did not want to go into much detail on his draft budget ahead of tonight's meeting, but did give the News Tribune a preview of the draft revenues for the 2015 budget, which shows an estimated $29.5 million in general fund revenues.

"It's tight, it's definitely tight," Struemph said of the budget.

Struemph said he began working on the city's budget about six months ago, talking to various community members about how they think their business or industry is doing.

"From what I've been hearing, our economy is very strong," Struemph said. "I think we'll see growth."

But the draft budget Struemph will present is conservative on the revenue predictions. He said any additional revenue that comes in can then be used as it arrives, instead of having to make any mid-year adjustments to account for a potential budget shortfall, which the city had to do in 2013.

Revenue projections, as they stand in Struemph's draft budget, project a small increase in sales tax and property tax revenues, as well as small increases in nearly all tax revenue line items except for telephone/cell utility taxes.

The projections are largely based on the city's revenue forecast model, which uses current actual revenues to project how the fiscal year will end. For example, the sales tax revenue is estimated at $9.8 million for the 2015 fiscal year, a small increase from the $9.64 million budgeted for this year. But the revenue forecast model is projecting this year to end with slightly more than $9.8 million in sales tax revenue, making next year's projection match this year's return.

A few new revenue line items also were included in the draft budget. Interim Finance Director Bill Betts said an EMT reimbursement for $25,000 was included this year because Cole County typically reimburses the city for the cost of responding to medical calls within the city. Betts said there is no contract in place, but in the past the county has voluntarily paid for this service.

Parking spot maintenance for $25,000 in revenue also was included, which Betts said is a charge back to the parking fund for services provided by the street department. (The parking fund is an enterprise fund, which means it is self-sustaining through metered and leased space revenues.)

As for what else people can expect from the draft 2015 budget, Struemph said he did include funds to incorporate the new St. Mary's Health Center location on Mission Drive, near Missouri 179, into an existing transit route. Struemph specified adding the hospital's location would mean adjustments on existing routes and he was not proposing a new transit route.

"I look forward to working with everyone involved in trying to get added services, but I think we're also going to have to look at a way to be more efficient with our transit," Struemph said.