CONCORD ó Concord City Manager Brian Hiatt presented a proposed budget Tuesday for the upcoming fiscal year that includes no tax increase and the smallest recommended general fund since 2007, the city said in a press release.
The city said the primary focus of the budget is maintaining basic levels of service, emphasizing efficiency, customer service, and how the city delivers services.
The budget, including all the various municipal funds, totals $207.7 million, an increase from the current budget that city officials attribute to increases in such areas as electricity costs from Duke Energy, completion of the funding for an Albemarle waterline construction project and the rise in aviation fuel costs.
The recommended general fund budget, where the primary funding sources are property and sales tax receipts, is nearly $64.4 million ó a decrease of $1.8 million, or 2.8 percent, from the current budget.
The fiscal 2011-12 budget would keep the property tax rate at 42 cents for every $100 of assessed value.
The budget recommends the elimination of 12 vacant positions and a continued ěfreezeî of 21 additional full-time and part-time jobs.
A raise of 1.5 percent (minimum $600) per full-time employee based on performance is recommended effective in December.
The budget recommendation projects revenues conservatively and anticipates that sales and property tax revenues will decline, the press release said.
ěWe hope local governments will begin to see revenues that reflect a stronger economy and we find our projections for FY 2011-12 to be too conservative,î Hiatt said in the press release. ěHowever, we feel it is reasonable to assume that revenues will be, at best, flat during the fiscal year. The Philip Morris closure will continue to impact property tax revenues directly and sales tax revenues indirectly.
ěWhile this budget is designed to focus on basic services delivery, we cannot ignore other infrastructure needs that existed before the decline in the economy. We must prepare for the future, regardless of our financial constraints. Part of the preparation is anticipating the impact of the Cabarrus County property revaluation that will be effective in FY 2012-13.î
The City Council will hold a budget workshop June 7. A public hearing on the budget will be held June 9 during the regular council meeting. The proposed budget is available on the cityís website at www.concordnc.gov. A printed version is available in the city clerkís office.