The council listened to budget outlooks from the operations of the general fund, fleet services and information technology. The discussion not only was directed to the new fiscal year 2023, but also some of the things that are still needed from the current year.

Brandon Nelson, the city’s finance director, led the presentation.

General fund revenue changes show an increase of $6.2 million, with sales tax revenues accounting for about 22% of that. There is also a decrease of $185,200 in some funds.

Nelson noted that cemetery fees, court fees and fines are all up 12%, while property taxes were up only 1% due to growth.

The city will also receive a UTOPIA rebate of $67,107. Conversely, planning fees are down 50% and library fees are down 20%.

As for expenditures, by far the biggest part of the budget is personnel costs, which are anticipated to total $1.9 million and will cover a variety personnel issues, from increases in the police department to ladder career programs. Health insurance is expected to be up by 10% or $544,000.

The total general fund expenditure increase is $5.7 million, according to Nelson.

Operational expenses are about $1.7 million. The good news is that the new Orem Fitness Center is clearing its own way and will no longer need to be subsidized by the city.

General Fund expansion on expenses for the coming year, as presented, looks like this:

• The Fire Department is asking for three new firefighters, equipment and more, totaling about $263,000. Police are asking for $80,652 for software, SWAT budget and an evidence custodian.
• Development Services would like $30,000 for a new vehicle and Public Works needs $79,500 for another technician at the cemetery. It was noted that there are retirements ahead and the city needs to have a trained individual in place.
• A request was made for $48,700 to hire a new court clerk for the Justice Court and for software.

The afternoon was full of requests, including funds to help with cyber security for hacking safety measures to a geographic information system.

Residents interested in seeing the budget requests can visit orem.org and connect to the transparency link.

The council will continue to hear budget requests through April and will have May and most of June to discuss line items and adjust the draft budget if needed.

The budget must be approved by the second council meeting in June. The fiscal year begins July 1. It is not anticipated that there will need to be a truth-in-taxation hearing this year — a mandatory step when considering raising taxes.