A special session item on discussing budget expenditures has been pulled from today’s 5 p.m. Unified Government Commission meeting agenda, according to the UG clerk’s office.
While the special session will still be held, according to the amended agenda, the UG Commission will recess into a closed, executive session to discuss litigation, and the discussion about capital maintenance improvement projects will be held at a later date.
Today’s CMIP discussion was scheduled to be a continuation of last Thursday’s special session discussion on the same topic.
The UG staff and commission are currently setting budget priorities for large capital expenditures, and deciding how to fund them. Topics such as setting priorities for projects, finding savings in existing expenses, whether to fund them with cash or debt, finding new revenue or increasing the mill levy are under discussion.
At last Thursday’s special session, the staff outlined some preliminary proposed CMIP budget initiatives:
– Less debt, more cash funded projects
– New projects
– Neighborhood street resurfacing
– Community planning projects, master plan projects
– ADA playground
– Fire station construction
– Juvenile facility/jail improvements
– K-32 quiet zone project
At last week’s special session, Commissioner Ann Murguia wanted to know if there was a policy that determined which projects were expedited, and which ones were not.
Commissioner Mike Kane, at that meeting, wanted to know why the fire station in Piper was on 2017’s list and not earlier, and UG officials said planning and land acquisition is needed first. Plus there is a committee working on a plan on how to phase those items in, UG staff stated. Kane asked to be part of the committee that is considering those decisions.
Mayor Mark Holland at the May 5 meeting said the UG cannot build fire stations until it puts efficiencies in place. There have been some cuts recommended by the recent consultant’s study of the Fire Department. There are groups working on the contract now, and later parts of the study are expected to be implemented. He said preferably there should be two stations built in 2017, with specific locations not yet determined. If the commission doesn’t approve the fire study, the UG won’t be building the stations, he added.
Commissioner Murguia at the May 5 meeting said she didn’t think the fire station out west should be dependent upon the fire study, and it should be built regardless of what happens to the rest. Commissioner Hal Walker at that meeting said the fire station in Piper was promised when the area was annexed, and the same thing in Turner was promised when annexed in 1966, and the UG still has the two old township fire stations. Commissioner Walker said the $4 million fire station has got to go somewhere out west, and it was promised.
They are expected to continue their discussion at a later date. While preliminary goals and priorities are being established, final decisions are not made until the budget is passed in the summer.
Video of the May 5 special session (more than 1.5 hours long) is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lIhPU-Xnjk.