City Plays Guessing Game With Assessed Valuation For '03 Budget
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The Warsaw city council trimmed a bit from the $14.9 million 2003 budget Tuesday, removing $120,000 for parking lot paving at the police department.
The city is advertising a net assessed valuation of $532,474,410 and a levy of $7,720,689. This increases the tax rate to $1.45 per $100 assessed valuation compared to last year's 96 cents.
But that AV is only an estimate, based on 80 percent of last year's figure. No one can know for sure what the tax rate will be until the state-mandated reassessment process is completed.
The advertised tax rate is expected to drop with the final numbers are in.
The remainder of the city's funds ($7.2 million) are garnered from state and county taxes as well as investments.
"We're in the same situation as all the other cities and towns," Mayor Ernie Wiggins said about the budget. "We have to back our way into a tax rate."
This year's AV was $657,728,976. The 96-cent tax rate raised a levy of $6,314,198.
Both the mayor and clerk Elaine Call expect to cut the budget pending review by the state board of accounts.
Call said the city's share of County Option Income Tax is down $900,000 for 2003 and the Economic Development Income Tax is reduced $100,000.
No one from the public appeared to discuss the budget during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
Councilman Bill Rhoades questioned the $34,000 given to the City-County Athletic Complex. The money comes from the council's budget. He asked why the city keeps giving $34,000 per year when kids pay $80 each and teams are charged $800 each.
Councilman Jerry Patterson said he would like to see a budget.
"I'd just like to hear from them," he said. "We're putting out a lot of money and so are the kids and the teams."
Councilman Charlie Smith said the area should be called the CAC - City Athletic Complex - since the county does not contribute any money.
"The CCAC is the only one that doesn't come in [during budget requests]," Smith said.
"No one seems to recollect how that contract came about," councilman Joe Thallemer said.
Wiggins said the city's money goes to debt service (line 38 in the council budget) for a bond initiated 10 years ago when the complex was developed.
Another $12,000 is contributed to the CCAC from cumulative capital improvement funds (budget 23).
Smith suggested in the future that agencies receiving funds provide an accounting of the past year so the council could see where the money ($301,468 in contracts with 17 agencies, not including the CCAC) is going.
The council will have a second reading Sept. 16 on the budget.
Rhoades asked city planner Jeff Noffsinger about the Tree City designation.
Noffsinger said the label is awarded by the Tree City USA organization to municipalities that spend $2 per capita on trees each year.
Warsaw would spend $25,000 on tree plantings and maintenance.
Thallemer made a motion to remove $120,000 from the budget to pave the police department parking lot. The motion passed 4 to 3, with yes votes from Thallemer, Trish Brown, Jeff Grose and Rhoades. Smith, George Clemens and Patterson voted against the cut.
Patterson said as long as cuts were going on, maybe the item for a new gymnasium floor in the Pete Thorn Youth Center should be cut.
Brown cautioned him that youths, senior citizens and third shift workers use the gym and it is a city-owned facility.
Costs to install the floor are estimated at $40,000 and are part of the park's five year plan.
The council also discussed the 2003 salary ordinance for department heads, appointed positions and other salaried and non-salaried employees.
The positions were given a 3 percent increase. Raises will be given at the discretion of the department heads.
The police and fire chiefs' salaries were adjusted (adding $10 per week to the fire chief's salary) to be the same - $46,593.82.
The public works department superintendent will be paid $52,021.06; parks and recreation department superintendent, $46,513.74; cemetery department sexton, $40,421.16; airport manager, $42,862.30; sewage collection manager, $38,616.50, and human resources administrator, (when hired) $40,599.78.
The city planner's salary was increased to $44,632.90, which includes a $500 bonus for an earned certificate.
Rhoades protested the $500 stipend, saying the city already paid for Noffsinger's schooling and he was only trying to advance his personal resum.
Thallemer said the certification was done to help the city, and Smith said $500 is a fairly nominal fee for someone with an advanced certification.
Brown asked whether or not anyone else received a bonus for more education.
"What about the police chief?" she said. "What about the fire chief?"
Brown voted against the 2003 salary ordinance because of this issue.
In other business, the board:
• Approved an amendment to the traffic control ordinance establishing no parking zones on both sides of Ranch Road from Fisher Avenue south to the city limits, and on the west side of Hickory Street from Center Street north to Main Street. There will be a second reading of the ordinance Sept. 16.
• Authorized removal of the street light at the northwest corner of the Justice Building pending installation of a driveway at the jail and lights.
• Reviewed a letter from Warsaw Community Schools teacher Dan Kuhn praising the work of police officer Dave Morales, who is stationed at the high school.
City council members are: Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Charlie Smith, Trish Brown and Joe Thallemer. The next council meeting is Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]
The Warsaw city council trimmed a bit from the $14.9 million 2003 budget Tuesday, removing $120,000 for parking lot paving at the police department.
The city is advertising a net assessed valuation of $532,474,410 and a levy of $7,720,689. This increases the tax rate to $1.45 per $100 assessed valuation compared to last year's 96 cents.
But that AV is only an estimate, based on 80 percent of last year's figure. No one can know for sure what the tax rate will be until the state-mandated reassessment process is completed.
The advertised tax rate is expected to drop with the final numbers are in.
The remainder of the city's funds ($7.2 million) are garnered from state and county taxes as well as investments.
"We're in the same situation as all the other cities and towns," Mayor Ernie Wiggins said about the budget. "We have to back our way into a tax rate."
This year's AV was $657,728,976. The 96-cent tax rate raised a levy of $6,314,198.
Both the mayor and clerk Elaine Call expect to cut the budget pending review by the state board of accounts.
Call said the city's share of County Option Income Tax is down $900,000 for 2003 and the Economic Development Income Tax is reduced $100,000.
No one from the public appeared to discuss the budget during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
Councilman Bill Rhoades questioned the $34,000 given to the City-County Athletic Complex. The money comes from the council's budget. He asked why the city keeps giving $34,000 per year when kids pay $80 each and teams are charged $800 each.
Councilman Jerry Patterson said he would like to see a budget.
"I'd just like to hear from them," he said. "We're putting out a lot of money and so are the kids and the teams."
Councilman Charlie Smith said the area should be called the CAC - City Athletic Complex - since the county does not contribute any money.
"The CCAC is the only one that doesn't come in [during budget requests]," Smith said.
"No one seems to recollect how that contract came about," councilman Joe Thallemer said.
Wiggins said the city's money goes to debt service (line 38 in the council budget) for a bond initiated 10 years ago when the complex was developed.
Another $12,000 is contributed to the CCAC from cumulative capital improvement funds (budget 23).
Smith suggested in the future that agencies receiving funds provide an accounting of the past year so the council could see where the money ($301,468 in contracts with 17 agencies, not including the CCAC) is going.
The council will have a second reading Sept. 16 on the budget.
Rhoades asked city planner Jeff Noffsinger about the Tree City designation.
Noffsinger said the label is awarded by the Tree City USA organization to municipalities that spend $2 per capita on trees each year.
Warsaw would spend $25,000 on tree plantings and maintenance.
Thallemer made a motion to remove $120,000 from the budget to pave the police department parking lot. The motion passed 4 to 3, with yes votes from Thallemer, Trish Brown, Jeff Grose and Rhoades. Smith, George Clemens and Patterson voted against the cut.
Patterson said as long as cuts were going on, maybe the item for a new gymnasium floor in the Pete Thorn Youth Center should be cut.
Brown cautioned him that youths, senior citizens and third shift workers use the gym and it is a city-owned facility.
Costs to install the floor are estimated at $40,000 and are part of the park's five year plan.
The council also discussed the 2003 salary ordinance for department heads, appointed positions and other salaried and non-salaried employees.
The positions were given a 3 percent increase. Raises will be given at the discretion of the department heads.
The police and fire chiefs' salaries were adjusted (adding $10 per week to the fire chief's salary) to be the same - $46,593.82.
The public works department superintendent will be paid $52,021.06; parks and recreation department superintendent, $46,513.74; cemetery department sexton, $40,421.16; airport manager, $42,862.30; sewage collection manager, $38,616.50, and human resources administrator, (when hired) $40,599.78.
The city planner's salary was increased to $44,632.90, which includes a $500 bonus for an earned certificate.
Rhoades protested the $500 stipend, saying the city already paid for Noffsinger's schooling and he was only trying to advance his personal resum.
Thallemer said the certification was done to help the city, and Smith said $500 is a fairly nominal fee for someone with an advanced certification.
Brown asked whether or not anyone else received a bonus for more education.
"What about the police chief?" she said. "What about the fire chief?"
Brown voted against the 2003 salary ordinance because of this issue.
In other business, the board:
• Approved an amendment to the traffic control ordinance establishing no parking zones on both sides of Ranch Road from Fisher Avenue south to the city limits, and on the west side of Hickory Street from Center Street north to Main Street. There will be a second reading of the ordinance Sept. 16.
• Authorized removal of the street light at the northwest corner of the Justice Building pending installation of a driveway at the jail and lights.
• Reviewed a letter from Warsaw Community Schools teacher Dan Kuhn praising the work of police officer Dave Morales, who is stationed at the high school.
City council members are: Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Charlie Smith, Trish Brown and Joe Thallemer. The next council meeting is Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]