Budget issues highlight city commission meeting

The second presentation on the 2001 Proposed Operating Budget for the City of Mount Pleasant highlighted the city commission’s general meeting Monday night.
City Manager Paul Preston explained what funds, other than the City’s general fund, were used for specific projects.
“Many people assume that the City’s budget is covered mostly by the general fund, but that actually only covers 41 percent of the budget,” he said.
The total City budget for 2001 is $22 million as compared to last year’s $21 million.
The remainder of the budget is comprised of enterprise funds, at 29 percent; debt service funds, at 3 percent; capital project funds, at 6 percent; and special revenue funds, at 13 percent.
Special revenue funds, which the budget proposes to decrease from $3.35 million last year to $2.86 million this year, are used for specific projects and activities, Preston said. They include major and local streets, parking, parks and recreation, block grants, economic development and storm drain improvement.
Preston said capital project funds are used to account for the receipt and disbursement of monies used for the acquisition or construction of capital facilities, including the Riverwalk Trail Project, operations of the Downtown Development Authority and improvements to Mission Street. The budget proposes an increase in the funds from $1.26 million last year to $1.33 million.
Debt service funds, which the budget proposes to increase from $629,000 last year to $664,000, are used to account for the accumulation of resources and payment of interest and principal on long-term debt other than bonds payable recognized in proprietary funds.
Enterprise funds are used to account for operations that provide goods or services to the general public on a continuing basis and are financed or recovered primarily through user charges. These services include the Mount Pleasant Airport, sewers, water and solid waste removal. The budget proposes to increase the funds from $6.1 million last year to $6.6 million.
Preston said the proposed budget also includes a millage increase of half
a mill to fund the expansion of the Department of Public Safety building
and possibly the hiring of an additional police officer and firefighter.
The increase would result in a 15.95 millage rate this year, compared
to the 15.45 millage rate last year.
A mill is a form of tax levy and the amount of revenue generated depends
on the standing millage rate. For example, if a parcel of property, which
includes any buildings and property, is valued at $50,000, the owner would
pay $15.95 for every thousand dollars worth of property, or $797.50.
The commissioners gave their input after the presentation concluded.
Commissioner Mike Pittsley said he is concerned about the increase in
funding for the additional officers.
Pittsley said there was a study conducted by the City in the past, which
should be re-evaluated to examine the officer-to-resident ratio.
“We need to know if we really need more officers,” he said.
Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said many residents often ask her why certain
roads, that are not bad, are repaired while others, that are in worse
shape, are not.
“I get questions such as those about how certain residents are catered
to and I want to answer that question before I get asked,” she said.
Director of Public Works Duane Ellis said in many of those instances,
crews are working on a non-street problem and resurface or repair the
street to kill two birds with one stone.
“Sometimes when we repair things like a sewer, we tend to redo the street
at the same time. We have an inventory that lists the condition of streets
to maintain the levels of repair that need to be done.
“Sometimes we’re not working on the worst streets to keep them from becoming
worse. We like to work on the streets somewhere in the middle before they
degenerate,” Ellis said.
Preston said a public hearing on the proposed budget will take place at
the Nov. 13 meeting.
“We don’t have to approve it until the second meeting in December, but
in the past, we usually approve it in November,” he said.
In other news:

• The commission received the monthly status report from Preston.
• Two public hearings took place to assist Listening Ear Crisis Center Inc. in the construction and development of low-income housing. Commissioner Tilmann, Vice Mayor Gerald Cassel and Mayor Al Kaufmann all abstained from both hearings.
  The first hearing was to allow public input on the City’s intent to take part in the project; no public comment took place. The second hearing was to allow public input on a City ordinance to issue bonds for the center; no public comment took place. No further action was taken by the commission at that time.
• The commission approved the appointment of Michelle L. Howard, director of Academic Advising Services for CMU, to the Mount Pleasant Planning Commission.

The next commission meeting will take place on Nov. 13 at City Hall, 401 N. Main St.