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Tentative budget on council agenda

Posted 5/6/15

The Town Council will have a budget proposal of roughly $38 million on the table when it meets Thursday to consider tentative approval.

This allows for public review of the budget plan knowing …

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Tentative budget on council agenda

Posted

The Town Council will have a budget proposal of roughly $38 million on the table when it meets Thursday to consider tentative approval.

This allows for public review of the budget plan knowing that the bottom line number will not change.

The General Fund operating budget is just under $14 million, up from $13.6 million this fiscal year. Increases for public safety services continue to leave a significant mark in the General Fund.

Fire and emergency medical services, under contract with Rural/Metro, are $3.5 million in the proposed budget, up just slightly from the current year.

Law enforcement, under a contract with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, is in the budget at $3.7 million, which compares with about $3.4 for the current year.

Together public safety costs reach approximately $7.2 million, which is 52 percent of the General Fund costs.

The other major departments operating within the General Fund include (with their proposed budgets) administration ($2.2 million), Community Services ($2.2 million) and Development Services ($1.8 million).

The Municipal Court has a proposed budget of $277,107 and the mayor and council ($80,084).

The Capital Projects budget for the coming year is at $14.2 million.

Major projects in that budget include the continuation of the Saguaro reconstruction project as well as some costs from the Shea Boulevard improvements.

The proposed Fire Station No. 2 relocation remains in the capital budget and has been increased to $3.6 million.

There is $1.1 million in capital funding allocated to Community Services for the completion of Fountain Park improvements, Fountain Lake water quality improvements and early costs on the proposed Fountain Hills Preserve Trailhead.

The major revenue sources to cover the budget include $7.3 million from local sales tax collections.

The town’s portion of the state sales tax collections is estimated at $2.1 million and the town share of state income tax ($2.7 million).

In conjunction with the town budget the council will also be considering tentative approval of budgets for the Eagle Mountain Community Facilities District, and the Cottonwoods Maintenance District.

The Eagle Mountain District was established at the time the property was developed to allow for the purchase of bonds to fund infrastructure construction with repayment by property owners within the district.

A number of years ago the Cottonwoods subdivision near Saguaro and Grande boulevards asked the town for help with a mechanism to fund maintenance and improvements for the perimeter wall and common landscaping on the outside of that wall.

The council acts as the board of directors for each of those districts and will be taking up those budgets in separate meetings just prior to the council meeting.

The council will meet Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall. There will be a public hearing on the budgets and the council may make last minute changes before voting on tentative approval.

The budget will be back for a final public hearing and final vote by the council at its June 4 session.

The new fiscal year begins July 1.