Mayor Carrie Tergin presented her proposed 2018 budget draft to the Jefferson City Council during the first city Budget Committee meeting Monday, and the budget showed few changes from last year's version.
The overall proposed mayor's budget is $63,353,702, with more than $32.4 million in the general fund budget.
The budget proposal includes a $223,085 increase (0.7 percent) in revenue from last year, based on a slight increase in revenue from the sales and use taxes, intergovernmental taxes, property taxes and interest income.
The budget proposes about $30.9 million in expenses. Part of the expenses would include a 2 percent salary/wage adjustment for full-time employees, as well as part-time employees with benefits. This pay raise would cost slightly more than $530,000 across all funds.
City Administrator Steve Crowell said he thought the proposed 2 percent should be increased if the city wants to fund its "pay for performance" philosophy.
He and the council will discuss this at a future budget committee meeting.
The mayor's budget also proposes a "floating holiday" for benefited city workers employed on Nov. 1 of each year. Employees would have to use the floating holiday by the following Oct. 31. Tergin said the holiday would increase time off for employees, but also minimize the city's costs.
Of the eight full-time and three part-time positions requested for funding, the proposed budget includes four positions.
The budget plan would use the general fund for a property room technician and a plan reviewer, the latter a full-time position that eliminates two part-time positions. It also propose using the parks fund for a recreation specialist and a parks maintenance worker.
Tergin said funds for stormwater currently are taken out of the city's sales tax, so there were no additional funds set aside for stormwater issues. Ward 4 Councilman Carlos Graham said he would like to address this at a later meeting.
The budget plan includes funding five new police vehicles and an animal control truck, as well as replacing four inspection vehicles and a one-ton heavy duty pickup for the city's Public Works Department.
The budget proposes keeping the Missouri State Penitentiary improvements budget the same as last year at $20,000. Potential projects could be improvement lighting and restrooms in the old prison.
Tergin said she is "pleased and confident" in this year's proposed budget.
"It's conservative, but it's a budget that's able to cover the services that are major and important to the city," she said.
The council will hear from the city's departments about their budgets and could make changes to the mayor's proposed budget in future budget committee meetings.
The Budget Committee will continue its discussions at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall.