The proposed city budget for fiscal year 2017 would increase its fund balance savings account by $18,874, from $156,270 to $175,144 by June 2017.
This would be 27 percent of the budget, said Treasurer Caitlain Bentoski in her first budget presentation to Clarkston City Council, May 23.
“It’s pretty much straight to the point – I used lot of what Sandra (Barlass, former treasurer) used last year,” Bentoski said.
Taxable value of property in the city is $39,427,100, an increase of 1.3 percent over last year. With an operating millage of 12.5069, unchanged from last year, property tax revenue would be $493,111, an increase of $6,252.
Total projected revenue is $682,245, including $82,474 from the state and the rest from licenses, permits, charges for services, rents, interest, and other local sources. Projected spending is $663,371, which includes $236,536 for general government, $279,511 for public safety, and $88,687 for public works. The budget for major and local road work is $93,012, which includes $71,643 from the state and $21,369 transfered from the city. Total funds available for fiscal year 2017 is budgeted at $838,515.
The 2017 budget has $15,500 in one-time expenses, including $2,000 for voting equipment required by the state.
The state will also contribute funding for the equipment, Bentoski said.
One-time expenses also includes $7,000 for document scanning by Ricoh, BSA server, and CivicPlus website design; $1,000 for rewiring city hall; $1,500 for fencing near the south Depot Park bridge; $900 for fragmite control and woodchips; $1,440 for rental of a garage at Clarkston schools for DPW equipment; and $1,404 for Maxx Storage rental for documents.
The city will try to get a better deal on DPW and document storage, Bentoski said.
“Hopefully we can get something cheaper or figure something else out,” she said.
No spending is included for the proposed DPW building addition, and there is no change in salaries or number of personnel, the treasurer said.
Spending for one-time expenses is down from last year, when it was $39,605.
“We’re not planning a lot of special projects,” she said.
Projects last year included $1,000 to CivicPlus for the new website; $2,685 for gazebo camera and park benches; $2,830 for BSA training, filing cabinet, and computer; $5,100 for tree removal; $6,000 for LED lights for Main Street; $9,000 for Depot Park and tree capital projects; and $10,000 to replace a light pole hit on Main Street, covered by Allstate insurance claim; as well as $1,440 for Clarkston schools rental and $1,550 to Maxx Storage.
Projected future spending includes $6,000 in 2018 to Ricoh DocMall for scanning of documents and CivicPlus for the website; and $5,000 in 2019 for document scanning.
The document-scanning project, which would reduce the need for storage of paper documents, still needs to be put out for bids, said City Manager Carol Eberhardt.
The budget will be presented to City Council for discussion on June 13. Deadline for budget approval is June 27.