2004-05-10 Budget Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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Session 1919 May 10, 2004 case in this area. All companies but one are paying their taxes under protest, so the City can budget $30 to $40 thousand dollars a year as a result. The "big money" paid under protest or as the result of a law suit, will remain an estimate, and will not be spent and will not be budgeted. Mr. Ollendorff said that revenue from fiber optics and from natural gas exceeds that from property taxes. Char,qe for City Services Mr. Ollendorff said the largest amount of revenue was from refuse collection, line item 640.16 and 640.17. On many of these fees, such as 640.12, budgeting for small cost increases was based on greater usage, for example the pool. Ms. Welsch asked about the "ambulance service line" and whether the company used was making satisfactory collections, and was advised that they were. Most fees are budgeted increases of 2.5 percent, with refuse budgeted at 5 per cent increase. In each case, revenue and rates suggested, must be approved by City Council; next they are slightly less than the actual cost. Three major factors influence the rise in refuse costs: tipping fees, equipment, labor costs. Gasoline is another factor. The cost is $2.3 million dollars and the budgeted revenue is a small increase to bring in $2.1 million dollars. Ms. Brungardt asked if there would be an increase in the cost of "stickers" and the City Manager said he planned to recommend an increase in the base-rate only. Added services, such as special pick-up of bulky items required introduction of new fees, but no existing fees, save the base rate, have been increased. The final decision on that is to be made by the Council, probably in July, in preparation for the August bills. Revenues for City Services 640.30 - several positions in the Police Department are funded in part by others, namely the School District and Washington University. Councilmember Brungardt asked if Washington University could be approached for more money for officers, and Mr. Ollendorff said there have been gradual increases over the years. Ms. Brungardt asked how much property WU had purchased on the eastern edge of the city, stating it could be an argument for increased sums. The City Manager will approach them again for another police officer, asking for an amount of approximately $60,000. Inspection Fees Mr. Ollendorff said the City expects the building boom to continue, yielding more fees, Page 3