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Council and staff begin budget planning; salary increases and insurance costs flagged
Summary
Staff distributed department budget worksheets; commissioners signaled support for employee salary increases (preferably percentage raises), and staff warned insurance and audit costs may rise. Council will set tax rate and utility fees in March.
City staff told commissioners they have circulated budget worksheets to departments as the city begins preparing the next fiscal budget and asked for high‑level guidance on priorities.
Elaine said the city lacks a permanent city administrator at present, which leaves compensation for that position uncertain in the draft. She reviewed department requests that have been returned so far, including staffing changes in finance, a potential restructuring of code enforcement/rental‑housing positions in community development, and requests for increased salt, abrasives and equipment maintenance in public works.
Commissioners indicated they favor employee pay increases and discussed whether to adopt percentage increases rather than flat dollar amounts; several members said a percentage approach is fairer now that prior irregularities have been adjusted. Elaine cautioned that insurance costs (property, auto and health) are expected to rise and that the city should be cautious when setting contribution levels (for example employer/employee splits for health premiums). Elaine also said she has increased the budget estimate for audit services in anticipation of higher audit costs as the city procures a new auditor.
Staff reminded the council that they will receive hotel‑motel tax funding requests and that the council must set a tax rate and utility fees in March; staff asked commissioners to provide any top priorities they want reflected in the draft budget.
