BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Clarkston City Council voted unanimously to approve the 2017-2018 city budget, but council members weren’t happy about changes made to it.
A total of $16,380 in additional spending was added to the $878,913 budget since its June 12 presentation.
“I think people need to know you can’t change these things the night you vote on it,” said Council member Sharron Catallo just after casting her “yes” vote.
Items were added to the budget without approval by the full council, said Council member David Marsh.
“It’s backwards,” Marsh said.
Changes are an additional $10,000 for planning, which includes $4,000 for an updated master plan and $6,000 for a master recreation plan; $6,200 for Friends of Depot Park, which is a donation from the Optimist Club rolled over into the new year; and $2,000 for parking consultants. They also include an additional $1,820 from Oakland County in matching grant funds.
The $16,380 would come from the fund balance, which was lowered to $180,000 from $197,345, which is still 24 percent of the budget, said City Manager Jonathan Smith.
Mayor Steven Percival said the projects aren’t approved yet, but money for them must be included in the budget.
“This is our snapshot for the year – what we’ll theoretically spend for the year,” Percival said.”There’s no conspiracy theory here.”
Other spending items for the upcoming year include $2,800 for a Building Department software upgrade; $8,500 for sidewalk replacement on Miller Road; $10,000 for converting paper archives into electronic files; $12,000 for repairing damage to Village Hall caused by mice, woodpeckers, and ants; $16,000 for asphalt overlay on Miller Road. Total for parking is $10,000 – $8,000 for a kiosk and $2,000 for consultants.
The property tax millage rate is budgeted at 12.0966, down from 12.1056 this past year. The city’s maximum allowable millage for fiscal year 2017-2018 is 12.7876, rolled back from last year’s 12.9168 due to the state Headlee law. With another reduction of 0.691 due to the city library millage resolution of 2014, the proposed millage rate for 2017-2018 is 12.0966.
Clarkston’s taxable property value after the state Proposal A cap is $40,833,740, up 3.57 percent from last year. Tax revenue, which is the millage rate times taxable value divided by 1,000, equals $493,949, up $16,665 from last year’s $477,284. Funding from the state is budgeted at $75,000, unchanged from last year.