GENTRY — In a special Dec. 14 meeting, the Gentry City Council amended the 2010 budget and adopted a budget for 2011 which included no pay increases for city employees.
With all council members present, little time was wasted in unanimously adopting an amended budget for 2010 which adjusted line items to cover expenses not adequately funded in the 2010 budget adopted a year ago. Amendments only included line items where more was spent than included in the original 2010 budget. No amendments were needed for those items where less was spent than budgeted.
Adjustments included such items as maintenance on facilities, computer maintenance and repair, vehicle maintenance and repair, fuel, solid waste management and workers compensation.
With most of the discussion having occurred in finance committee meetings, the council also unanimously adopted a budget for 2011 which did not include pay increases for city employees. The council, at its regular December meeting, did approve participation in the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System.The change in retirement programs will cost the city slightly more initially but provide more secure retirement benefits for city employees.
The adopted budget estimates incoming gen eral fund revenues of $1,300,719 and budgets for expenses of $1,240,028 leaving $53,334 as a buffer.
In the city's county tax account, the budget proj ects incoming revenues of $678,500 with expenses of $609,500.
In the street and alley fund, the city budget proj ects incomes of $871,250 with expenses of $746,480.
In the solid waste fund income is estimated at $26,200, with $15,750 of that amount budgeted for expenses.
The fire equipment sinking fund is projected to receive an additional $13,570 with $55,509 already in the fund, for a total of $69,079. No expenditures are budgeted.
Act 833 revenues total $33,848, including a balance forward of nearly $20,000. Of those funds, $33,500 is reserved for new construction.
Incoming revenues for the operation and maintenance of the public library were projected at $107,335. Projected expenses are $98,980.
Projected income from the Act 209 incarceration fund are $22,981, with budgeted expenditures set at $5,600.
A draft water and sewer budget for 2011 anticipates actual income at $2,146,050. With an additional $175,000 in certificates of deposit and money market accounts and $200,000 in restricted money market accounts and CDs - money set asidefor major projects and upgrades - $2,521,050 is available. Projected expenditures are listed at $2,146,050.
Full copies of budget documents are available at city hall.
A proposed ordinance which would have given spousal retirement benefits to a surviving spouse of a retired mayor or city clerk was defeated with a 5-3 vote to reject the proposal. Janice Arnold, Jason Barrett, Clara Garrett, Kevin Johnston and Janie Parks voted to reject the ordinance and Michael Crawford, James Furgason and Kyle Jordan voted not to kill it but further consider it.
The ordinance would have adopted an option allowed by state law to pay surviving spouse benefits to eligible surviving spouses at a rate of half the original retirement benefit.
Suggestions were made to modify the retirement program, but city attorney Jay Williams advised the council that its only option under the law was to adopt or not adopt the provision provided by the state legislature.
“The city of Gentry can't afford this, people,” Arnold said, suggesting adoption of the measure could cost the city $437,000 in retirement benefits for outgoing mayor Wes Hogue and his wife if both lived to age 75. “(City clerk) Jo Ellen (Martin) would add that much more too,” she said.
Arnold moved to reject the proposed ordinance and called it a shame that it was brought up in the eleventh hour of the current mayor's term of office.
“It's not the eleventh hour,” Furgason said. “We just haven't addressed this issue before.”
News, Pages 5 on 12/22/2010