While several members of the public attended the Trenton City Council meeting Monday night, they were there to provide input on the city’s breed-specific animal ordinance rather than get the details on the city’s 2022-23 budget, which shows a deficit of nearly half a million dollars.
Those attending the meeting were able to provide their input on the animal ordinance, which was repealed following a majority vote and an override of Mayor Linda Crooks’ veto (see accompanying story).
Two budgets were presented to city council members for approval – one for the operation of the city government and one for Trenton Municipal Utilities. The city budget, which had been the focus of several meetings of the council’s Finance Committee prior to Monday’s meeting received an 8-0 vote, while the TMU budget passed 7-1.
City Budget
The city budget shows total revenue of $3,424,678, with approved estimated expenditures listed at $4,206,129 for a deficit of $781,451. The council plans to transfer in $235,000 from road tax funds, bringing the deficit down to $546,451. The city is projecting to end the 2021-22 budget year with a fund balance of $2,508,036, a figure that is expected to drop to $1,961,585 by April 30, 2023.
The biggest source of income for the city is taxes, which are projected at $2,247,400. The city’s sales taxes, which are for General Revenue, Capital Projects, the Park Department, Transportation (17th Street Bridge) and the Fire Department, are all on track to exceed last year’s collections. The city is in it’s first year of collecting a use tax following its approval by voters in the April 2021 election. While it was unknown exactly how much revenue that tax would add to the city coffers, officials are pleasantly surprised that as of this month, it has generated over $92,000.
Included in the tax revenue is the city’s ad valorem (real estate) tax, which is expected to bring in more than $500,000, with railroad taxes budgeted to bring in $220,000. The city also has budgeted to receive $370,000 in Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) and $150,000 in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Other than taxes, major revenues, by department, include:
Public Safety – $56,000 from the 911 agreement and $16,000 from city court fines.
Street Department – the council has budgeted $840,000 to come from asphalt sales, which is far lower than the actual amount collected this year, which is $1.5 million. Finance Committee Chairman John Dolan said it’s hard to estimate the amount that will be sold because so much of the sales go to the Missouri Department of Transportation, which doesn’t guarantee an amount of asphalt it will purchase. So, as is usually the case, the council included a lower number than expected just to be on the safe side. The cost to generate the asphalt is listed at $606,420.
Airport – $25,000 is expected to come from gas sales, with another $16,140 from hangar rent.
Non-Departmental – $35,000 is budgeted from tipping fees, with another $55,438 listed as coming from community development.
Budgeted spending, by department, includes Administrative, $542,977; Trenton Police Department, $1,444,910; Trenton Fire Department, $532,297; Community Development, $20,000; Trenton Street Department, $1,496,717; Trenton Municipal Airport, $54,450; non-departmental, $41,317; and Code Enforcement, $73,461.
Dolan said there are no across-the-board wage increases this year, something he said would be difficult to justify with the deficit. In all, labor will account for $422,427 in expenditures, not including overtime, FICA, LAGERS, life and health insurance, etc. City employees did receive salary increases last year as councilmen tried to attract and retain quality employees.
Base salaries for department heads on the city side of the budget, as opposed to Trenton Municipal Utilities, include: City Administrator Ron Urton, $89,685 (with $44,843 of that being reimbursed by TMU for his duties as utility director); City Clerk Cindy Simpson, $55,406. Trenton Police Chief Rex Ross, $64,060; Street Supervisor Gary Dryer, $55,016; Trenton Fire Chief Brandon Gibler, $52,682; and Code Enforcement Officer Wes Barone, $44,205. The mayor is paid $3,000 per year, with city councilmembers paid $1,200 per year and the treasurer paid $1,200.
A total of $147,000 has been budgeted for petroleum products, more than double what has been spent this year and $17,000 more than was budgeted for 21-22.
Other expenditures of note include payments on two current police cars and the possibility of purchasing another one at a cost of $18,624 if it becomes available; $101,514 for portable radios and another $43,708 for mobile radios (funded through ARPA), $23,000 for concrete repairs and replacement at the fire station and another $25,000 that will be spent from a grant for airpacks; $61,074 for the payment for the asphalt plant; $44,000 for a backhoe for the street department and $28,961 for a wheel loader for that department; $22,000 for runway engineering at the airport and another $20,000 for apron concrete replacement at the airport. The city has budgeted a total of $147,572 for the street overlay program with another $137,923 for street maintenance. A total of $50,000 has been budgeted toward demolition of properties.
Trenton Municipal Utilities
The TMU budget passed on a 7-1 vote, with Second Ward Councilman Marvin Humphreys voting no. He did not elaborate during the meeting on why he cast a dissenting vote on the budget, which shows overall gross revenues from the electric, water and wastewater departments totaling $13,274,318 and total expenses for the three departments coming in at $10,244,242, leaving a surplus of $3,030,075. After depreciation of $190,500, net revenues are expected to total $1,109,575.
The three TMU departments have their budgets broken down into costs for production, distribution and administration.
Electric Department
Gross Income- $7,105,838
Total Expenses-$6,762,097
Balance – $343,741
Depreciation- $530,000
Net Revenues – (186,259)
On the electric production side, $5,548,235 is budgeted in expenditures, with purchased power accounting for the bulk of that amount at $5,400,000, Labor is budgeted at $40,040. On the distribution side, expenditures are $628,148, with the bulk of that coming from labor, which is budgeted at $364,628, before overtime, retirement and benefits. Administrative costs for the electric department total $585,714 and include $154,679 in labor and the director’s partial salary, but does not include overtime or any benefits.
Water Department
Gross Income- $2,464,330
Total Exp. – $1,638,995
Balance- $825,335
Depreciation – $675,000
Net Revenues – $149,835
The Water Department has budgeted $816,382 in production costs and another $305,455 in distribution costs. Administrative costs for the department cost $517,158. Labor, not including overtime and benefits, is listed at $237,282 for the production department; $163,982 for the distribution department; and $60,840 for administrative salaries.
Wastewater Department
Gross Income- $3,704,150
Total Exp. – $1,843,150
Balance – $1,861,000
Depreciation – $715,000
Net Revenues – $1,146,000
The Wastewater Department has budgeted labor at $469,925 in the production area, with $146,952 in the distribution area and another $36,400 budgeted for administrative salaries.
When looking at major expenditures in all three TMU departments, other than salaries and benefits and purchased power, big-ticket items include expenditures such as $523,571 in interest on bonds for water and wastewater projects; $246,734 in chemicals; $375,700 in electric power; $137,400 in contracted repairs and maintenance; $128,000 in plant and office maintenance.
Department head base salaries in the 2022-23 budget include Kyle Sharp, electric production, $40,040; Brad Griffin, electric distribution, $67,500; Comptroller Rosetta Marsh, $55,219; Steve Reid, water production, $56,425; Kenny Ricketts water distribution, $56,425; Bob Hutchinson, wastewater production, $56,425; and Shaun McCullough, wastewater distribution, $44,491.
The new budget will go into effect May 1.
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