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City Council <br />Meeting Minutes <br />October 5, 2010 <br />Page 7 of 13 <br />Items of concern: Proposition 101 and Amendments 60 and 61, sales tax instability; <br />property tax instability and the impact of the state budget crisis on municipalities. Areas <br />of opportunity: the potential for the passage of the use tax and the development of the <br />ConocoPhillips property. <br />The 2011 Budget Focus on the following areas: Maintain current level of service; <br />maintain fund reserves to provide resources as needed in the uncertain economic <br />climate. The major city funds include the general fund, capital projects fund, special <br />revenue funds, conservation trust — land acquisition, conservation trust — lottery, <br />enterprise funds: water, wastewater, stormwater, golf course, solid waste & recycling <br />utility; internal service funds and debt service. <br />The 2011 budget maintains the current level of service and, when the year -end turnback <br />is factored in, keeps General Fund expenditures slightly below anticipated revenues. <br />That will enable the City to weather the current economic conditions. When the outcome <br />of the November elections is known, the budget can be revisited if necessary. Until then <br />the following issues are significant: Compensation, Benefits and Training; Merit <br />Increases; Medical Insurance Coverage and Other Benefits. Given the continuing <br />economic trends, and the uncertainty with measures on the fall ballot, Staff is not <br />proposing at this time to restore any of the service cuts implemented in late 2009 and <br />early 2010 to reduce expenditures to fit within available revenues. <br />The 2011 budget includes a total revenue projection (excluding interfund transfers) of <br />$26.8 million for all funds, which is a decrease of 5.7% over the estimated revenue for <br />2010. Net property tax revenue is projected to remain at $2.9 million. City Staff expects <br />sales and use tax revenue to decline by 2.5% in 2010 and an additional 1`)/0 in 2011. <br />The 2010 budget includes a 3% increase in water rates and wastewater rates, and a 25- <br />cent per month increase in storm water rates. The 2011 budget includes total <br />expenditures (excluding interfund transfers) of $28.9 million. Included in this amount is <br />$21.4 million for operations, $2.6 million for debt service, and $5.2 million for capital <br />outlay. Total appropriations for all funds, including interfund transfers, are $30.2 million. <br />The General Fund expenditures for 2010, excluding interfund transfers, are projected to <br />decline by nearly $200,000. General Fund expenditures for the 2011 proposed budget, <br />excluding interfund transfers and assuming a 3% "turnback ", are budgeted to decline by <br />an additional $200,000. The only significant increases in the General Fund budget are <br />the result of electricity costs going up 8% and a potential 10% increase for medical <br />insurance. Total General Fund expenditures are over $300,000 less than anticipated <br />revenue (assuming 3% year -end turnback). <br />In 2011 the policy of maintaining a General Fund reserve of at least 15% of current year <br />expenditures will be continued. Staff expects to maintain a General Fund reserve of <br />$4.6 million or about 34% of current year expenditures. <br />10 <br />