City approves temp measures until 2013 budget is finalized

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September 26, 2012

City approves temp measures until 2013 budget is finalized

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Wed Sep 26, 2012, 09:20 AM CDT

CULLMAN — With the 2013 budget still in the works, city officials took measures Monday to ensure services and business will continue uninterrupted when the new fiscal year begins October 1.

The city council is still holding work sessions to finalize projections and departmental budgets for 2013, but this temporary measure will allow basic functions to continue uninterrupted until a proper budget is in place.

Officials plan to approve the final 2013 budget next month.

City council member and finance committee chair Jenny Folsom said budget prep is going well, and she expects the council to meet the self-imposed deadline of early next month — despite the late start due to the recent election that saw incumbent Mayor Max Townson reelected.

“We are finishing up now and still have a few departments to meet with, but we plan to finish meeting with all the departments this week,” Folsom said. “We’ll probably take one or two sessions next week to finalize the appropriations for next year.”

With the economy beginning to rebound, spending is expected to increase slightly in 2013. But, Folsom said the council still intends to take a prudent approach.

“It’s up a bit compared to last year, but revenue has up-ticked and sales tax is increasing,” she said. “But we’re still being conservative in our budget estimates. It’s always better to plan for a little bit less and be conservative.”

As for major undertakings, Folsom noted there are a handful of road and infrastructure projects the council hopes to include in the spending plan for next year. At the top of the list? A proposed Interstate 65 interchange on County Road 222, which has been on local leaders’ wish list for years.

“We’ve been working very diligently with the county on trying to get the interchange on County Road 222, which would take a good bit of revenue from the city and county, plus working together with the state,” she said. “We’d also like to see some improvements to the Eva Road bridge just north of Cullman High School, to expand it so fire trucks can cross over it. They currently cannot, due to the bridge’s size.”

The council has been making improvements to outdated sewer lines the past several years, and Folsom said she expects that work to continue in 2013.

“We’re still moving ahead with some major sewer project improvements, because some of those date back to the 1930s and 1940s, and have been neglected for way too long,” she said.

The council also plans to continue restoring appropriations to local non-profit groups, which had been reduced in recent years due to budget cuts. The council began restoring some appropriations last year, and Folsom said she expects even more money to flow out to non-profits next year, thanks in large part to funds generated by alcohol sales in the city.

“We’re planning appropriations to a number of non-profits that serve the Cullman area and we hope to give a little bit of increased funding this coming year,” she said. “Sadly, we had to cut some of those back in the last few years. But, those are absolutely vital to our community.”

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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City approves temp measures until 2013 budget is finalized

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