City Council To Consider $8 Million Budget

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  • City Council To Consider $8 Million Budget
    City Council To Consider $8 Million Budget
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The month of June brings with it the end of the City of New Cordell’s fiscal year and the need for the city council to enact a new budget. The budget proposal for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1, calls for the city to spend almost $8 million on city operations, creating a deficit of $154,181.12.

The proposal, which was given to the council by city administrator J.C. Moser at the May 18 council meeting, estimates $7,753,580.70 in total revenue from all sources and calls for $7,907,761.82 in expenditures. The estimated deficit of $154,181.12 will reduce the city’s funding reserves from $1,595,397.55 to $1,441,216.43.

The New Cordell Utility Authority represents, by far, the largest chunk of the city’s budget. The proposed budget calls for $4,706,333.65 in expenditures for the coming fiscal year, as compared to a budgeted $3,915,211.97 in the 2019-2020 budget. Actual expenditures for the current fiscal year are estimated at $3,539,267.95.

Part of NCUA’s expenditures include $992,172 in expense transfers to other city departments, including $450,300 to the city’s general fund and $30,000 to the New Cordell Development and Redevelopment Agency. It also includes the transfer of $293,872 to the city’s capital projects fund and the transfer of street and ambulance fees collected by the NCUA into the city’s general fund balances for those departments.

Outside of the utility authority, the city’s largest budgeted departmental expense is for the police department, with a total budget of $427,219.03. The budget proposal represents a cut of more than $13,000 from the current year budget of $440,311.97. The lion’s share of the police department’s budget is in the “personal services” category, $320,219.03. The budget also calls for $67,500 in materials and supplies and $39,500 in “other services” for the coming year.

The budget proposal also includes a slight budget cut for the Cordell Fire Department. The department’s budget for the current year was $326,367.52 and the proposal for the coming year calls for a budget of $322,303.72. Estimated actual expenditures for the current fiscal year are just $293,598.31.

Other departments facing budget cuts in the coming fiscal year include the airport (from $11,450 to $11,350), ambulance service (from $121,825.13 to $112,866), and both parks and recreation departments. The parks division’s proposed budget is $80,421.86, down from the current year budget of $83,834.22 and the swimming pool budget is proposed at $38,998.97, down from $62,502.15. The bulk of the proposed budget is in personal services, budgeted at $22,698.97, despite the decision of the council to close the pool for the 2020 season.

The proposed budget calls for large increases in the budgets of the cemetery and animal welfare departments. The cemetery department has a proposed increase of nearly $29,000, up to $35,234.33 from $6,250. The entire increase of $28,984.33 is in the personal services category. The increase is exactly the same in the animal welfare department, up from $1,600 to $30,584.33. The $28,984.33 increase in animal welfare is also entirely in the personal services category. Neither department had budget allocations for personnel in the current fiscal year.

Another large budget jump in the proposal comes from the city’s grant writing department. The current fiscal year budget allocated $62,928.60, but only $3,107.63 was spent due to the retirement of the city’s grant writers. The proposal calls for $80,071.70, of which $79,771.79 is under personal services. Moser said he hopes to be able to hire a new grant writer this year to help the city administer some current grants as well as to help secure new ones.

The street department’s capital outlay budget is on tap for a budget hike as well. The proposal calls for total expenses of $268,237.12, up from the current year’s $252,512.53.

The city’s code enforcement/building inspection department proposed budget is $64,337.48, as compared to the cur rent year budget of $56,056.66. The entire proposed budget increase of $8,280.82 also falls in the personal services area. City administration is looking at a similar hike in the proposed budget, from $84,331.28 to $88,762.29, with the entire increase also being in personal services.

The council will consider the budget proposal in a public hearing scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Monday, June 15, 2020, in the Cordell Community Center. The budget may be approved at the city council meeting immediately following the hearing.