Branson puts $41.1 million budget in place

by Paul Schreiber

SBJ Reporter

pschreiber@sbj.net

On Sept. 14, the Branson Board of Aldermen approved a $41.1 million city budget for fiscal year 2005, beginning Oct. 1. The budget is a 3.29 percent increase from the 2004 budget with major funding to be allocated towards parks, city infrastructure and public safety, according to a city of Branson news release.

Branson's 2004 budget was $39.8 million, according to City Administrator Terry Dody.

Chief among the reasons for the city's budget increase is a new recreation complex under construction. The $14 million facility will be located on 42 acres in Branson Hills and is scheduled to open its doors next spring. The complex includes a fitness center, indoor track, gymnasiums, outside walking trails, aquatic center and various athletic fields.

Additional items on Branson's 2005 to-do list are pumping $3.1 million into water and sewer system upgrades, including the replacement of old water and sewer lines, Dody said.

The city also will spend $603,000 on a new police station and new police cars. New fire equipment, the construction of a trail system and intersection work on Business 65 will cost more than $850,000 combined, according to the news release.

Branson pays for these improvements through a built-up reserve of cash, Dody said. "What we've set up over the years is a process of using fund balance carry forwards from the previous year to fund our capital projects, rather than going out for bond issues," he said.

"Once we built up a sufficient carry-over we were able to maintain about a $9 million to $10 million a year capital budget to pay for capital projects," Dody added.