By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The City of Bowling Green has been walking a budgetary tightrope, with COVID-19 draining expected revenues. So when the city’s 2021 budget was presented Thursday evening, it showed a balancing act of goals versus revenues and expenses.
While keeping a watchful eye on the numbers, the city administration presented a budget with strong priorities. Top on the list were body cameras for the police division, proceeding with plans for a new city building, funding for street paving, and maintaining services for city citizens. There was also a new program in the budget, a pilot program for food waste recycling.
Mayor Mike Aspacher stressed that while the city is addressing its short-term financial issues – it will not be at the expense of the future.
“Despite the pandemic and short-term economic toll, we are prioritizing efforts to keep the city moving forward,” Aspacher said to City Council’s Finance Committee.
The impact of COVID on the city budget was felt across departments.
“The challenges of 2020 have been unprecedented in so many ways,” Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter said.
Several revenue areas fell short of projections, she said. It is anticipated that income tax revenue will be down 7.4% from the original 2020 budget estimate. But unanticipated revenues from the CARES Act and Bureau of Worker’s Compensation refunds provided some balance to the shortfalls.
The city enacted cost saving measures such as a hiring freeze, elimination of annual salary increases, and other expenditure reductions.
“As hard as this year has been, there are so many things that I look back upon with pride at the ability of the staff to keep emerging and critical community priorities at the forefront and adapt as required for continuing city operations,” Tretter said.
The 2021 budget proved to be quite a balancing act, she explained.
“Overreact and assume the worst and we make significant cuts that impact people and services. If that doesn’t come true, we’ve made unnecessary adjustments that impacted the community negatively,” Tretter said. “Underreact and we risk placing the city in a concerning financial situation that puts us behind if we can’t fulfill our obligations.”
Walking the tightrope was tricky, she said.
“But if 2020 taught us anything it is that our system has built in opportunities for resiliency. As we encounter challenges along our journey, we can reassess, find our balance again, and then continue on our way,” Tretter said.
The budget was based on maintaining current service levels – meaning no expansion or contraction of staff, no long-term changes to the city’s scope of services and no changes of fee levels.
“It includes those things you take for granted – that the street is cleaned and the roads are engineered correctly to those things that are necessary for a cohesive community, for example the height of your neighbors’ fence, to those that enhance your life like walking in a park,” Tretter said.
The non-utility expense budget is over $84 million. Add in the utility budget and the amount to be appropriated the 2021 annual budget appropriation ordinance, which will be part of City Council’s packet for Monday evening, will be approximately $172.5 million.
Following are some expenses planned for the budget:
- $125,000 for body cameras for the police division. The division has applied for a grant for the cameras, but since the grant status is unknown, the city has placed this as a high priority to be included in the budget.
- $600,000 for road paving. The list is still in development with considerations being given to South Church Street, Quail Hollow subdivision, The Coventry subdivision, Sand Ridge Road, West Gypsy Lane Road, and Thurstin Avenue from Wooster Street to Court Street. The final paving list will be determined in early 2021.
- $200,000 to begin work on Wooster Street paving, ADA ramp improvements, and a new pedestrian crossing at Maple Street.
- $10,000 for the launch of a food waste compost program as part of its commitment to sustainability values. The city will partner with GoZero to provide a food waste compost drop off station at the Public Works Garage.
- Road projects that the city is partnering on. As part of the ongoing safety, traffic, pedestrian/bike, and aesthetic improvements at the city’s I-75 entrance, a roundabout will be added at Campbell Hill/East Wooster Street in 2023. In connection, a median will be added in the area between the interstate and Campbell Hill.
- Another partnered road project planned is South Main Street, including a multi-use side path and pedestrian crossing between Napoleon and Gypsy Lane Road.
- Street upgrades will include new ADA ramps, wider 5-foot sidewalks, emphasis on pedestrian safety, and better timing of stoplights to keep traffic moving.
- Bonds for the new City Building will be sold in May. The city’s utilities department is paying for half of the $11 million estimated cost. The city will make payments on the building for the next 25 to 30 years. No additional fees will be levied to pay for the building.
- In addition to the city’s on-going vehicle lease program, four old police cruisers will be sold and replaced. Last year the police leased two traditional vehicles and two hybrids – and have requested that the four replacement vehicles be hybrids.
- Public Works Division will replace a 2003 rear load packer at a cost of approximately $225,000.
- Funding will be reserved for a new HVAC system in the police station, plus a fire engine, and equipment replacements for the city arborist.
Members of City Council’s Finance Committee praised the budget proposal.
“This budget appears to be a reasonable response to the challenges,” Greg Robinette said, noting that the budget maintained services and offered “tempered optimism.”
Bill Herald said the city administration was given the directive to cut in an intelligent way – and succeeded in that “balancing act.”
“It would be a success to merely tread water,” he said. Yet the budget is moving ahead to meet targets set by the city, he added.
Sandy Rowland appreciated the focus on maintenance of programs, city services, and livability.
“I know it took the work of every single employee to make this happen,” she said.
“This should make us all very, very proud to live here,” Rowland said.
