Independence city staff, Mayor Chris Reinersman and two members of the Independence City Council, Carol Franzen and Dave Shafer, met this week to discuss the financial situation in the city as well as possible city projects for the next fiscal year.
No official action was taken at the meeting–the council will perform a first reading and engage in discussion of the proposed budget at their meeting on May 6–but it served as a window into what the city government’s hopes and goals were for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1.
“This is somewhere between a wish list and finally what will actually happen,” Reinersman told LINK nky.
Reinersman stated that the budget projections discussed in the meeting were predicated on keeping the tax rate the same as previous years. Moreover, he described many of the projections as financially “conservative.” Data on the city’s actual spending from the last fiscal year shows revenue exceeding expenses. The current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, currently has expenses exceeding revenue, but this may change before the year’s out.
Reinersman also said that overall the city had been moving away from a taxation structure that relied on property taxes to a structure more reliant on payroll taxes.
Some of the discussed projects include the following:
- About $300,000, a figure similar to previous years, for debt service for the municipal building, which should be paid off within the next two to three years
- A roughly 10% aggregate increase for collective salaries in the police department
- An additional $20,000 for the police's body cam provider contract
- Investment in car license plate readers, provided by Flock Safety, at key roadways throughout the city; an exact figure for what this might cost was not discussed
- Between $20,000 and $30,000 for salary increases for open positions in the public works department--Reinersman said that current salary levels were not competitive enough to attract qualified candidates
- Repairs to Memorial Park's amphitheater ceiling
- Expansion of AED machines in the city parks; the group said that grant funding would likely be available to fund additional machines
- $50,000 for resurfacing basketball courts at Memorial Park
- $30,000 for a backup generator for the Independence Senior Center, which could serve as an emergency shelter in the future
- Various city road improvements
In addition, the group discussed the possibility of adding a splash pad, but the members of the group had mixed opinions about it. Reinersman had come around to the idea of maybe adding one, but Franzen, who has worked as a swim coach, was emphatically against it, arguing it was expensive and not useful.
"If we put in a splash pad, you better use it," Franzen quipped to the mayor.
Reinersman put the cost of a splash pad at about $500,000 and said the city would likely seek federal grants to pay for it. The discussion on the matter was not conclusive, however, and the city would not be able to apply for a grant until next year, anyway. So, it could be something that comes up more seriously down the line.
Overall, the mayor emphasized that the city was in good financial shape and had a healthy amount of reserves to fall back on if necessary.
"The fact is we're in very good shape," Reinersman said.
A complete draft of the proposed budget was not yet ready for public view at the meeting, but the city will release a draft before the first reading at the city council meeting on Monday, May 6. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Independence City Building on Madison Pike.
View a more detailed layout of the City of Independence's finances at the city's Open Gov interactive budget portal.