Members of the Bartlesville City Council heard the proposed 2018-19 budgets for City operations and capital expenditures during a meeting Monday night. The meeting was the first of several planned in the budget approval process.
Councilors convened in Council Chambers at 7 p.m. to consider several agenda items — including the sale of more than $10 million in bonds to fund projects approved by voters in the March 6 General Obligation Bond election — before relocating to the first floor conference room for the workshop portion of the meeting.
Sales tax revenues
Acting City Manager Mike Bailey told the council that sales tax revenues for the upcoming year are expected to remain relatively flat and that the proposed City budget was prepared using conservative projections. He said changes in the local market include the closure of JCPenney’s and the scheduled opening of Dunham Sports, which is expected to off-set the Penney’s closure.
He said the Silver Lake Village Shopping Center, located on Adams Boulevard east of Silver Lake Road, is performing well, generating upwards of $55,000 per month in sales tax receipts. He said 50 percent of those funds are captured by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to be held in reserve, though next year the captured amount will be reduced to 30 percent for some stores.
Changes proposed
Highlights of the proposed 2018-19 budget include:
- Phase III of the five-year utility rate plan adopted by the council in May 2016 will be implemented in 2018-19. This will be the third increase in the plan, which is estimated to cost the average utility customer about $4.15 per month.
- A monthly utility increase of 35 cents is proposed to help fund the rising cost of the City’s mosquito control program.
- A $15 Municipal Court technology fee is proposed to help generate funds to support the City’s Municipal Court system. This would generate $42,120 of the $47,475 needed to operate the program.
- Proposed personnel changes include the reduction of one full-time staff person in Building and Neighborhood Services, the addition of one full-time staff person in the Engineering Department and the reduction of part-time library hours. A 1 percent cost of living adjustment and a 2.5 percent merit increase are proposed for all City employees in 2018-19.
Reserve Fund
Bailey told the council that for the first time, the City’s Reserve Fund has reached minimum levels of 16 percent for all four stabilization funds. Those funds are the General Fund, Wastewater, Water and Sanitation funds. The proposed budget includes $6.7 million in reserve by the end of the 2019 budget year.
Capital projects
Director of Engineering Micah Siemers presented the capital projects proposed for funding in 2018-19. Capital projects are funded by General Obligation Bonds, the half-cent Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) tax, utility revenues and transfers from the General Fund and Sanitation.
Some of the larger projects proposed for funding in 2018-19 include:
- 7 new patrol vehicles for the Police Department
- Storm sewer drainage improvements in east downtown
- Improvements to Pathfinder Parkway
- Street repair and preventative maintenance projects
- Resurfacing and construction of a shade structure at Sooner Pool
- Pavilions at Sooner and Civitan parks
- Water line replacement on Frank Phillips Boulevard between Silver Lake Road and U.S. Highway 75
- Sewer line replacements on Brookline and Harvard
The CIP budget also includes $500,000 for the purchase water rights at Copan Lake, which is expected to be possible next year due to a new pricing structure included in the updated Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
The City of Bartlesville has been seeking additional resources for water supply since drought conditions threatened the area in 2001-02. The cost to secure water rights at Copan Lake have remained too costly due to the pricing structure, set by the U.S. Congress, but is set to change thanks to language in the new WRDA document.
The budget will be published in the newspaper, as required by law, and a public hearing will be held June 4 at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Completion of the budget is required by June 30. The new budget goes into effect July 1.