For the week of Aug 28 - Sept 3, 2002

Sun Valley proposes 
$3 million budget

City Council to vote on plan Thursday

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Sun Valley city officials have proposed a $3 million General Fund budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

The proposed spending plan will be reviewed and considered for approval by Sun Valley City Council members at a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 29, at 4 p.m. in Sun Valley City Hall.

City Administrator Dan Pincetich has proposed the city allocate $2,939,109 for General Fund spending from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2003.

The sum is up from an approved budget of $2,756,152 for the current fiscal year, despite an approximately 10-percent decline in revenue for the city from local option taxes—which add a 3-percent surcharge on all liquor, lodging and retail sales transactions.

Pincetich said the city anticipates that local-option-tax revenues will be down some $200,000 this year, and has estimated that income from the taxes will not increase during the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

"It’s a conservative approach," Pincetich said.

The taxes are estimated to bring in $1,120,500 for both the current and upcoming fiscal years, down from more than $1.3 million in 2000-2001.

However, the city foresees a sizable increase in revenues from property taxes—which are set to go up 3 percent—and state funds derived from sales taxes, Pincetich said.

The proposed budget calls for no specific payroll increases for city employees, but would include $72,000 for pay increases that will likely be proposed to the city council some four months into the fiscal year, Pincetich said.

The budget proposes only small increases for the city police and fire departments.

The plan calls for budgeting $640,500 for future capital improvement projects, all of which will likely be carried over into the 2003-2004 budget, Pincetich said.

He noted that the city is trying to save more than $1 million for capital projects to be done in the 2003-2004 fiscal year, including road projects on Elkhorn Road and Fairway Road.

"Essentially, next construction season we don’t want to do any big projects," he said.

On Monday, directors of the Sun Valley Water and Sewer District approved a $2,861,800 budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

The budget sum includes all operating and non-operating expenditures, which are down slightly from $2,760,000 budgeted for the current fiscal year.

The budget approved Monday did not include any increases in user fees for single-family residence owners. Until such a change is approved, the fees will remain at 70 cents per 1000 gallons of water and $13 per month for sewer services for residential customers.

 

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