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BUDGET OVERVIEW

rising cost of providing services.

The addition of six firefighter/paramedics is included in the Adopted Budget in order to staff a
fourth full-time ambulance. This addition will improve response to the increasing numbers of
emergency medical calls in our community. The new personnel will function as a firefighter and
a paramedic and will be used for EMS, rescue, fire and public service calls. The ambulance will
be stationed at Station #5. The cost of this service enhancement is $258,763 (6 month
funding).

Two additional police officers will be added to the patrol unit, which has not increased in
staffing since 2001. A staffing study was conducted and it determined that based on the
current call volume growth of 2-3% a year, the city will need an additional seven officers by
2022. The study looked at over 37 factors, including population, calls for service, and response
times. The two officers will be responsible for the protection of citizens and property through
routine patrols and enforcement of Federal, State and local laws. They will also assist in high
risk situations, investigate suspicious activity, conduct traffic enforcement, forge citizen
partnerships and strive to build and maintain positive community relations. The cost of this
service enhancement is $89,447 (6 month funding).

One of the largest strains on city budgets is the steady growth in personnel costs, specifically,
maintaining competitive salaries and benefits. In order to maintain competitive pay with
the market this year’s budget includes an increase in compensation for public safety
and general service employees. General services employees will receive a 2% market
adjustment and 3% merit increase and Public safety sworn personnel are to receive a 2%
market adjustment in October, a 2% market adjustment in April, and a 4% step increase.
These increases total $843,414 in the FY 2018/2019 Adopted Budget.

In addition to competitive pay, the City is contributing a greater amount of financial resources
to maintain a competitive and financially sound benefits package by increasing the funding to
the City’s health insurance plan. While it is shaping up to be a somewhat good year in FY
2017/2018 for medical expenditures and large loss claims, health insurance costs continue to
increase. Other factors contributing to the increase in costs include prescription expenses and
an increase in retiree and dependent medical expenses. Health insurance costs covered by the
General Fund Adopted Budget total $314,204.

All departments funded through the General Fund saw their fleet allocations returned to FY
2016/2017 levels for a change in how staff is accounting for the Fleet Service Funds
contribution for fleet debt. Departments with large fleets show large increases to their budgets
due to this change, those include: Planning and Inspections, Neighborhood Services, Public
Works, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire.

Also included in the Adopted budget is a transfer to capital projects in the amount of
$1,144,000. This will be used to fund the following projects: Neighborhood Initiative Program
(ES0901) in the amount of $94,000, $1,000,000 for the Loop 820 Redevelopment Project
(ED1602) and the Sidewalk Rehabilitation and Replacement Project (SD1901) in the amount of
$50,000.

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