by Logan Gruber
The proposed 2016 budget for St. Joseph isn’t quite where the council would like to see it.
The current proposed budget – which can be adjusted up until the Sept. 21 council meeting when a final decision would need to be made – would lead to an increase in the levy of 18 percent, or about $311,000 more than in 2015.
“I’d like to see that figure around nine percent,” council member Bob Loso told city staff.
Every department of the city saw an increase in its operating budget from 2015 to 2016.
“We’d have to eliminate all new [proposed] staff positions and probably one existing position to get that number,” city administrator Judy Weyrens said.
Proposed additional staff positions for 2016 include a community-development director and a ninth police officer, which would mostly be payed for through a COPS grant. These proposed positions would cost the city approximately $86,000.
“I already gave up a part-time position I wanted to add [to the finance department],” finance director Lori Bartlett said.
Additional impacts to the proposed budget in 2016 include EDA project funding of $51,500, fire service costs of approximately $35,000 and combined debt service costs of just over $150,000.
Council members also discussed ways to increase revenue, such as a lodging tax and increasing liquor-license fees.
Later in the meeting, the council heard from a company that may enter an agreement to sell solar energy to the city, which could lower the city’s energy costs. See related story in next week’s paper for more information on solar power in Stearns County.
The city council plans to have staff rework the budget and will discuss it again at the Aug. 31 meeting. The first meeting in September would normally be Sept. 7, but due to Labor Day it has been moved to Aug. 31. The only meeting planned in September at this time is Sept. 21, when the budget is due. The council may choose to schedule more meetings if needed to finish the budget.