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Council approves Doe Branch project, budget sessions begin
By Matthew Price
A public hearing was held on July 30 in which the Celina City Council approved a $34,000 project to clear out Doe Branch Creek, and they initiated the first of a series of budget hearings.
The Doe Branch Creek project bid process began on Aug. 17, and the Council approved the decision to hire the lowest bidding company, Rose Construction. Scheduled budget hearings will continue until mid September when the Council is expected to approve a new tax rate and budget for the 2007/2008 fiscal year.
“This project is for a basic cleanup of debris, old dead wood, trash, and cutting away any tree within 12 feet of the channel (of Doe Branch Creek),” Celina’s Director of Public Works David Hall said. He explained that the project will take about two to three weeks, and Rose Construction will start about two weeks from when they receive a letter to proceed.
“We did go back and check their references, and we went through line item by line item,” Hall said.
Celina Mayor Corbett Howard said the last time a major project was done on Doe Branch Creek was in the 70s. He expressed his hope that the community will be committed to maintaining the creek, and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Lewis suggested that summer work programs could be utilized to maintain the creek.
Lewis made a motion to enter into a contract with Rose Construction for the Doe Branch Creek project, and the Council unanimously approved the motion.
Regarding the City of Celina budget, additional meetings have been scheduled leading up to a final budget meeting on Sept. 17, at which time the Council is expected to adopt the new budget and tax rate.
“We’ve been working in earnest since May to get to the point we’re at now,” Gray said. “My hat’s off to the staff.”
A 36 page packet on the budget was provided at Monday’s meeting which includes a detailed summary of the budget process. Within the proposed operating budget, Gray and Celina City Treasurer Jay Toutounchian included a letter explaining the development of the proposed budget which will be further explained and considered before approval of the budget and tax rate.
According to the document, “The budget is a management guide, an executive planning document, and a financial report. It helps to identify future needs, sets objectives for the coming year, and it defines the purposes and resources to achieve those objectives.”
The budget is made up of all municipal services, which can be grouped into categories including a general fund, debt service fund, general capital improvement projects fund, utility fund, utility capital improvement fund, impact fee fund, Economic Development Corporation fund, and a Community Development Corporation fund.
The document indicates that proposed expenditures and transfers for the budget totals $10,224,646, and it states that “the projected combined beginning fund balance of all funds subject to appropriation at Oct. 1, 2007 is $2,538,910.”
It proposes a $0.35 decreased tax rate from $0.69 for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to $0.655 for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. According to the document, “This decrease is allowed for due to the significant growth in assessed value within the City, and a concerted effort to provide the desired level of service as efficiently as possible.” Taxes will bring in 73 percent of general fund revenues, and fines and fees will account for 22 percent of general fund revenues. Sales tax revenue is projected to remain the same at $530,000.
Additional staff members recommended for the city include one fulltime fire marshal/chief building official, and one fulltime city engineer. Gray recommended that Toutounchian be appointed to the position of director of finance.
Gray said he expects savings to be significant from the resources gained by the new employees, and that the addition of a fulltime in house engineer will reduce the amount spent on consulting engineers. He said that Celina Fire Chief Jerry Duffield has expressed the benefits that could be gained from hiring a fire marshal/chief building official.
According to the proposed operating budget document, “Jay Toutounchian currently serves with the title of Senior Accountant. Consistent with our new Charter, I am recommending Mr. Toutounchian be appointed the City of Celina’s Director of Finance. This promotion will carry with it additional responsibilities in the realm of financial reporting and management as well as management of the Utility Billing activity area and the Municipal Court activity area.”
The proposed budget sets aside $413,400 for legal and professional expenditures. The 2006-2007 budget had appropriated just over $220,000. Howard explained that funds spent on legal matters could help to prevent the loss of literally millions of dollars. He said that Council Members Brad Glendening, an attorney, and Jeanie Ready, a paralegal, will help add to legal resources as well and ensure that legal fees are being spent appropriately.
Celina Resident Richard Hose attended Monday’s meeting, and near the end, he addressed the Council saying that the proposed budget does not account for drainage issues. Gray responded saying that the city is addressing those issues, and that they are waiting for the results of an engineering study to return. He explained that it would not be appropriate to budget for something in which the cost is unknown.
“We have set aside reserves to take on those (additional projects).” Gray said. “This (proposed operating budget) is a guiding tool we use for the basis of consideration.”
The next meeting on Celina’s budget and tax rate is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 13. At 6 p.m. on Aug. 27, another public hearing on the tax rate and budget will be held, and a public hearing on the tax rate and budget is set for 6 p.m. on Sept. 10. The final meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 17.
“In the coming 60 days, the City Council and the community will be afforded plenty of opportunity to ask questions and to become familiar with this proposed budget,” Gray and Toutounchian wrote in the proposed budget document. “In addition to the July 30 work session at which this budget was first presented, the City Council will hold at least two public hearings on the budget, at least two public hearings on the proposed tax rate, we will take out advertisements in a local newspaper, and we will provide the proposed budget document to anyone who requests it either electronically or via hard copy at City Hall.”
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