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Belpre City Council reviews 2025 proposed budget, flags building electrical, software, police communications
Summary
Council members and staff reviewed the proposed 2025 city budget and discussed near‑term needs including building electrical work, software cost breakdowns, police communications and equipment, and remaining grant reimbursements. No formal votes were recorded.
Belpre City Council on Tuesday reviewed the proposed 2025 municipal budget, finding most line items close to 2024 actual expenditures while identifying several items that require follow-up, including a potentially unsafe electrical system in the city building, unclear software support totals, and questions about police communications and dispatch costs.
Council members heard that many departmental appropriations for 2025 track closely with last year’s actual spending. Officials noted the mayor’s salary, retirement contributions and health insurance lines largely match 2024 outlays; some lines were a few hundred dollars different and others were lower than last year, according to staff presenting the draft budget.
The review highlighted several items that the council asked staff to investigate further. Staff said the auditor software line includes $43,004.66 specifically identified as the auditor package; an additional, larger software-support total has been listed elsewhere in the draft (staff described an $81,000 aggregate figure that needs clarification). Council directed staff to provide a detailed software breakdown at the next meeting so members could see which programs and support fees are included and how costs are allocated across departments.
Council members and staff also discussed infrastructure and safety concerns in the city building. Staff reported an inspection by Bob Harris of Harris Industries that found the building’s wiring in poor condition and not well labeled. Staff told the council Harris would return with an estimate; presenters warned that undertaking electrical work could risk a temporary loss of power to the building’s systems and that the dispatch/911 connection may require coordination with the county.
Police department budget lines were broken out in the draft into separate categories for the chief, uniforms and dispatch. The panel noted that historical figures appear higher because, in prior years, police payroll and related costs were bundled in a single department total. Council members raised several policing items during the review: communications repairs and console issues in dispatch, obsolescent antennas and tower lights that are not on emergency power, a $7,100 grant that previously covered tasers, vehicle maintenance and equipment allowances, and training budgets tied to staffing levels and annual required hours.
On intergovernmental and service items, staff said the county’s future 911 configuration remains unresolved and any change would need separate council approval. The budget also includes a remaining $50,000 tree‑project grant earmarked for reimbursement when requirements are met. Staff confirmed that indigent burials in recent years have been cremations that are buried on city grounds.
During the session the council identified specific follow-up actions: staff will break out and return with a detailed software and software‑support schedule; the city will obtain a formal estimate from Harris Industries for electrical work and relabeling; staff will confirm workers’ compensation and related salary breakout questions; and staff will clarify the dispatch/911 cost and any county negotiations. The transcript records no motions or formal votes on the 2025 budget during this review.
The council plans to continue discussion of the budget at the first meeting in February and to bring the requested breakdowns and estimates back to members for further consideration.
