The draft budget for Jefferson City's 2015 fiscal year was unveiled Monday and includes both a pay increase for city employees and an additional city holiday.
At the first meeting of the Budget Committee on Monday, Mayor Eric Struemph presented his draft budget, noting his proposal includes a 2 percent pay increase for city employees, an additional holiday and full funding for all positions at City Hall.
Struemph's draft budget projects $29.5 million in total general fund revenues, though council members made one change to those projections Monday. The mayor had proposed $9.8 million in sales tax revenue for 2015, but several council members said they would prefer a more conservative number.
First Ward Councilman Rick Prather said the city's sales tax revenue had declined from 2011 to 2013 and, while the growth in 2014 is great to see, he would rather not over estimate the city's revenue based on one good year. Prather suggested using a three-year average instead of the $9.8 million projected.
After some discussion between council members on how that average should be calculated, the council voted 9-0 to use the last 36 months of actual figures from sales tax revenues to generate the three-year average. (First Ward Councilman Jim Branch was not present at Monday's meeting.)
Interim Finance Director Bill Betts said staff would need to calculate what that number would be, but he estimated that average would lower the revenue projections by about $86,000.
The 2 percent pay increase proposed by Struemph is an across-the-board increase for all employees, but City Administrator Steve Crowell said the item would be taken up by the council at a later meeting and could be changed to incorporate a merit pay increase.
Struemph also proposed declaring President's Day, which would fall on Feb. 16, 2015, as a city holiday, noting it already is a state, federal and county holiday.
Struemph noted his budget included funding all positions at City Hall, eliminating the vacancy savings line item. Struemph also increased the funding from $800 to $10,000 for the Woodland Cemetery Trust, which allows for repairs and maintenance at the cemetery.
He also added $25,000 to fund expanded transit service to the new St. Mary's Health Center on Mission Drive.
Betts said the ordinance accepting the city's budget will be introduced at next week's regular council meeting. (The budget ordinance is often introduced before the budget work is finished. Council members typically place the bill on the informal calendar until they are ready to approve it.)
The next Budget Committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 where they will begin discussing the Police Department and Fire Department budgets.
The full draft budget is available at www.jeffcitymo.org/council/budgetmeetings.html.