by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
On a 4-1 vote, the Sartell City Council at its Dec. 13 meeting approved a budget and tax levy for 2017 that is basically “flat” from this year’s budget and taxes.
Council member David Peterson voted against the budget-levy proposal without giving any reasons other than “no.”
The tax levy will be about $5.9 million, but the city budget will decrease slightly to $6.2 million, about $25,000 less than this year’s budget.
The tax rate is only one-tenth of 1 percent more than the tax rate for 2016, said Sartell City Administrator/Finance Director Mary Degiovanni.
Several good outcomes made possible the very nearly flat tax rate, including updated favorable revenue projections for next year and very favorable insurance renewal rates for 2017, Degiovanni noted. The general-fund budget is actually a slight decrease from 2016, even though the city has funding priorities in 2017 that include the following:
- Hiring of a full-time building inspector to replace contracted work.
- A full-time engineering-tech position to help reduce contracted engineering costs to provide tech-level support to inspections, planning and public works.
- A full-time park employee to be hired in the second quarter of 2017.
- Transfer of 2017 franchise fees to the street fund to provide dedicated funding.
- The purchase of four police vehicles with the police-equipment fund using savings accrued from last year.
The general fund for 2017, an amount of $5,685,000, includes money for arena abatement and street abatement ($22,000 and $445,000, respectively) as well as debt service for debts incurred for projects in 2007 ($315,000 in payments in 2017), 2008 ($193,000 due next year) and 2009 ($235,000 due next year).
Sartell’s tax levy is the lowest of the five area cities: Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph, St. Cloud and Waite Park.
Council members expressed pleasure at the flat tax rate.
Council member Steve Hennes called it a “prudent budget” and added Sartell staff members have done a good job keeping taxes as low as possible. Council member Pat Ryan said he appreciates the hard work the city staff does to keep the budget and taxes flat, and council member-elect Ryan Fitzthum also praised the staff and noted the city remains “fiscally strong.”
