St. Bernard council tables Ordinance 36 and advances discussion of 2025 budget

The St. Bernard Committee of the Whole on Dec. 12 voted to place draft Ordinance 36 (2024) on the table for action at next week’s council meeting and moved the proposed 2025 line-item budget to the table for consideration as an emergency ordinance.

Auditor Peggy Brickweg told the committee the draft ordinance reflects roughly a $700,000 net decrease in appropriations and highlighted specific adjustments: a $50,000 allocation for fire overtime that is offset by reductions in regular employee pay lines, higher-than-anticipated building-permit expenses tied to local construction activity, and the planned appropriation of ARPA funds to finish park projects.

The budget presentation by the service and safety director described the 2025 proposal as a continuation budget that factors in contractual personnel increases and some reductions where 2024 actuals came in lower than budgeted. The director asked the committee to place the budget on the table for approval at the next meeting as an emergency ordinance.

Council approved the motions to table Ordinance 36 and to place the 2025 budget on the table by voice vote. Separately, the committee voted to enter executive session at the end of the public meeting to discuss collective bargaining; the roll-call on that motion was recorded as five affirmative votes and the motion carried.

The procedural moves do not yet change appropriations or adopt the budget; they schedule formal consideration at the next council meeting. Formal votes on Ordinance 36 or the emergency adoption of the budget will be required for any changes to take effect.