Council adopts new $5.2 million budget 2016-17

By: 
MEGAN LINSKI

Tecumseh City Council unanimously approved the 2016-17 proposed budget at its May 2 meeting. Total proposed general fund revenues for the city totaled $5,240,872, while total general fund expenditures equaled $5,157,519.

The report states that revenues have declined due to restrictive state laws and cuts to state shared revenues, and that the city has had to adapt in order to meet the service demands of citizens. Property taxes have declined, however, user fees and alternative revenue sources such as donations and grants have become a larger part of the city budget. Staffing levels and costs have been reduced in order to obtain a balanced budget. City governments are still recovering from the economic recession, which provides challenges when considering escalating costs such as health care premium inflations and retirement obligations, according to city manager Dan Swallow.

The biggest expected costs for the city include: $1,412,768 for general operations; $1,552,725 for police operations; $562,196 for emergency services; $424,615 for parks and recreation; and $213,162 for the public works department. The city is expected to receive $3,427,000 from property taxes, $833,000 from the State of Michigan, $165,800 in revenue from parks and recreation, and $734,872 in other areas.

In other city council news:

• Swallow announced that Consumers Energy has begun gas main replacement work along West Chicago Boulevard. The initial work will be on Pearl Street, Maiden Lane, Van Buren and Democratic Streets, and will involve partial lane closures along the boulevard. Temporary gas service interruptions will take place throughout the area. Consumers will provide advance notice to property owners beforehand.

• Brookside Cemetery superintendent Dan Righter encouraged the board to begin looking ahead with regard to developing the cemetery in order to make room for more grave sites. Currently, there are 10,624 people interred at Brookside. An average of 41 lots are sold each year, however, in 2015, 56 lots were sold. Righter said at the current rate, there will be no more grave sites left in 20 years. 

“We need to start developing the northeast corner, because in fifteen years I won’t have four grave lots or six grave lots left for families to use. We’re running out of space,” Righter said.

Mayor Jack Baker agreed that further development of the cemetery is crucial for the city. “It’s something we’re all interested in doing once we get the funds to do it,” Baker said. “That cemetery is something we’re all very proud of.”

Currently, Righter has 1,119 graves left he can sell. “We have to get things ready to go and construct a plan in ten years,” Righter said.

Righter spent most of 2015 converting old software for the cemetery into a new computer program. The conversion took a year’s worth of corrections and Righter will not begin transitioning from paper to computer until winter.

Category:

Tecumseh Herald

 

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Tecumseh, MI 49286
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