Saginaw budget overview presented; public hearing continued to Aug. 13

Kim Quinn, the city's budget presenter, told the City Council the proposed budget represents about $63,000,000 across 13 funds and includes a mix of property taxes, sales taxes and other revenues. "We say the budget but it's actually 13 different budgets," Quinn said, and walked members through revenue categories, debt service, and transfers.

Quinn said personnel costs account for roughly a third of total spending, operating about 25%, capital roughly 23% and debt service about 11%. She reported overtime is approximately 4.5% of salaries and that the enterprise fund adjustments — a small water rate decrease and a wastewater increase — produce a net average customer impact of about $1.67 per month. "This is just a quick overview," Quinn said, and flagged capital projects including Fairmont sanitary sewer construction, a 12-inch water line along West McElroy (part-funded by impact fees), and engineering on the Saginaw Boulevard Drainage System 3.

Quinn described the proposed tax-rate change as a reduction in rate but noted that rising property values mean the average homeowner would still see a tax increase of about $36.35 per year for an average-valued home. "We're over $3,000,000,000 in assessed value; $30,000,000 of that was new value," Quinn said during the presentation.

Council members asked procedural and technical questions and Quinn said staff will continue fund-by-fund review at the Saturday workshop. Because the public hearing was opened as required, the council voted to keep the hearing open and table consideration to the Aug. 13 meeting so staff can provide additional detail. The motion to table carried; the Saturday workshop was set for 8:30 a.m.

What happens next: staff will supply more detailed fund and line-item information at the Saturday workshop and the council will hear the public hearing again on Aug. 13 before voting on the budget and tax rate.