City Council considers $255M FY '08 budget

The city’s budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1, was on the Springfield City Council agenda May 7.

The $255.1 million budget has $39.3 million in special revenue funds, including $17.4 million for the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department from the N-cent parks sales tax.

Another $17.2 million is marked for capital projects; $17.3 million will go to debt service; $22.3 million is set for the Springfield Police Department and $15.5 million goes to the Springfield Fire Department.

Most of the city’s anticipated revenue will come from $122.1 million in taxes and $57.3 million in charges and fees.

The budget for the coming year is 8.1 percent larger than the current year, which totals $235.9 million as adopted.

Some of the increase can be traced back to costs from the January ice storm. Most of the direct costs for cleanup and emergency services have been paid out of the current budget, but City Finance Director Mary Mannix Decker said that part of the goal of the new budget is to replenish the city’s cash reserves, which paid for most of the services.

Decker said $3.5 million is the rough estimate for the city’s portion of cleanup costs, though that assumes the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover 75 percent of the cost and the state will pick up an additional 10 percent.

“We don’t have all issues worked out with FEMA yet,” Decker said.

Council also heard the preliminary tax levy for the coming year. The levy, which is always sent to council accompanying the annual budget, totals $0.6107 per $100 of assessed valuation.

Council is scheduled to vote on the budget at its May 21 meeting.

Road improvements

Several road-related bills were also on the agenda.

Council approved the plans for road improvements at the intersection of National Avenue and Primrose Street.

The improvements, which will add dual left-turn lanes and dedicated right-turn lanes in all directions and widen National to six lanes between Primrose and the James River Freeway, were first considered in February, when CoxHealth offered to donate the land needed for the improvements in an effort to ease traffic congestion in the area.

The city awarded the contract to Hartman & Co. Inc., whose bid of just under $2.1 million was the lowest. The project, funded by the N-cent capital improvement sales tax, should start this week and be complete in six months.

Council also heard first reading on a bill giving it authority to condemn right-of-way near the James River Freeway/Glenstone Avenue/Republic Road intersection.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is attempting to work out a deal for the property just south of Republic Road, which is the last piece needed to begin improvements to the intersection, jokingly referred to by Councilman Ralph Manley as “Malfunction Junction.”

Council is expected to vote on the bill May 21.