Feb

12

City Budget proposes more cuts, modest tax increase

February 12, 2010 | 2 Comments

Interim City Manager Troy Schulte has released his recommended City budget for 2010-2011.  As in the past couple of years, it includes continued cuts to city staff and programs.  However, this year he is proposing a modest increase in property taxes to help protect core city services like police, fire, trash, and neighborhood preservation.

More City employee layoffs will have a direct and noticeable impact on things like filling potholes, repaving streets, and responding to emergencies blizzards and ice storms. Total city employment would be down 20% since 2007. Property taxes would be raised to the maximum allowed without voter approval, including the health levy that supports Truman Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, ambulance service, and neighborhood clinics.

Included in the budget is $12 million to cover deficits in the Power and Light District, thanks to the City agreeing to guarantee Cordish’s debt on the project.

Next up is a series of public budget hearings this month.  Based on that feedback, the Mayor and City Council decide on the final version of the budget by the end of March.

Major cuts:

  • Laying off 80 more city employees and cutting 100 vacant positions.
  • Fewer park property mowings
  • Cuts for regional amenities, including the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City Zoo, Liberty Memorial, and Truman Sports Complex.
  • Deferral of TIF payments to developers
  • Higher fees for city services – permits, licenses, trash tags.
  • Reduced capital maintenance, increasing the backlog of street and bridge repairs

Some key programs that would be preserved or enhanced:

  • Focus on small maintenance things like streetlights and sidewalks that have a high impact on neighborhood livability.
  • Target and prioritize areas that receive services like dangerous building demolition, weed abatement, illegal dumping cleanup.
  • Preserve animal control, codes inspection, and Action Center as much as possible
  • Extra money for nuisance abatement, to deal with the increase of vacant and foreclosed properties.
  • Preserve housing programs like minor home repair fund and down payment assistance.
  • Small increases for KCPD and KCFD
  • Small increase for snow removal budget

Categories: City Council, KC Mayor


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