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Orem approved an $85.4 million 2008-09 budget Tuesday -- a budget termed "status quo" and "conservative" by city manager Jim Reams due to a downturn in the economy.
When the tentative budget was presented to the Orem City Council in April, Reams had said sales taxes to the city, which constitute one-third of General Fund revenues, had leveled off or slightly declined over the previous six months.
One of the budget highlights for the coming year is the planned construction of Fire Station #4, at a cost of $1.8 million. The new station will be located west of Interstate 15 at about 1300 South and 1500 West in the Orem Business Park.
Reams said the design work is being done now, construction will take place during the next fiscal year, and the station will be staffed in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
He pointed out that the funding for the new fire station is being drawn from several sources: $1,033,000 from General Fund surpluses; $400,000 from land sales; $207,000 from Capital Improvements Plan surplus; and $160,000 from the city's cell tower lease revenues.
No new employees were recommended in the budget from the General Fund, but a fleet maintenance mechanic position that has been open since the employee retired in 2002 will be filled. All of the city divisions that use vehicles will pay for the position on a pro-rated basis.
An engineering specialist will also be hired with money from the water reclamation fund. The employee is needed to increase the efficiency of the water treatment plant, according to a staff report, and, among other duties, will help enter and organize data.
Orem residents will see small increases in water, sewer, and storm water fees when the new fiscal year begins July 1.
There will be a rate increase of 25 cents per month for the standard three-quarters inch residential meter, and proportionate increases for all other meter sizes. There will also be an increase of two cents per 1,000 gallons of water used, from 55 to 57 cents. For an average household using 28,000 gallons of water per month, the increase would translate to an extra 56 cents.
The water rate increases help to pay for an annual $75,000 increase in the city's assessment for Jordanelle Reservoir water.
Sewer fees will see a rate increase of four cents -- from $1.31 to 1.35 per 1,000 gallons. An average household uses 13,000 gallons, for a monthly increase of 52 cents. The monthly connection fee remains at $7.07.
Storm sewer fees increase 25 cents per month, from $4.50 per ESU (equivalent service unit) to $4.75 per ESU per month. A residence is considered one unit, while parking lots, churches and schools have higher ESUs.
There are no changes in the solid waste collections fees. Reams said that the city has seen good savings in this area because of its green waste and recycling programs.
The city managed to carve out $320,000 to pay for two traffic signals to be installed on 800 East -- one at 1200 North and one at 400 North, and $25,000 to go to more holiday lighting.
Mayor Jerry Washburn said that the community "gets a strong bang for our buck" with a high level of quality of service combined with frugality. "So many cities look to Orem to see how it is done," he said.
Acting in its roles as the governing board of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), Municipal Building Authority (MBA), and Special Service Lighting District, the City Council also approved budgets of $2,815,000, $1,428,304, and $1,435,000, respectively, for those agencies. The Special Service Lighting District budget includes $262,439 to complete the remaining lights in city parks.
Council looks at design concepts for a new Orem City Center campus -- New additions, a new parking structure, or perhaps a whole new civic building were among the ideas presented to the Orem City Council Tuesday as Ken Pollard of the architectural firm Pollard & Associates outlined options for the City Center block.
Options Pollard presented include transferring the legal department (which is loosing the lease on its current space) to a retrofitted multi-purpose room, moving it to the development services offices with minor modifications, or building an addition to the Public Safety building.
Aligning Public Safety and the legal department may be a preferred alternative because of the security issues that create an affinity between the two departments. One plan showed an addition connecting the Public Safety building with the City Center, which, along with providing legal department offices, could bring IT services and equipment out of the City Center basement, and allow development services more space.
Pollard floated the idea of a $3.2 to $3.5 million three-level parking structure to be built in the center of the block, east of the court building. The structure would eliminate about 90 parking stalls but would provide 385, for a net gain of almost 300. A new civic building would carry a price tag of $18 to $20 million and would be "a big leap," Pollard said, impacting the ball fields and everything else on the block. The additions/remodelings carried estimated costs ranging from $5.5 million to $7 million plus the price of the parking structure.
The City Council will hold a work session on the issue July 8 at 4 p.m. at the City Center. |
