The new budget for the City of Smithville includes pay raises for employees, a new sanitation truck, the addition of a new full time officer in the police department to help cut down on overtime, matching funds to replace the Holmes Creek Bridge, street paving including on the public square, new equipment for the fire department, and an upgrade of the waste water treatment plant, among other projects.
The aldermen voted 3-0 Monday night to adopt the new $6.6 million budget ordinance on first reading. Second and final reading action will come at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 28 at city hall. Aldermen Shawn Jacobs, Josh Miller, and Gayla Hendrix voted for the budget. Aldermen Danny Washer and Jason Murphy were absent.
Under the new budget, city hourly and salaried employees will get a 3% pay raise except for any police officers who are due to get an increase in pay under the department’s wage scale for all hourly employees. However the police department wage scale, which has been an eight step plan, will stop at six steps hereafter. The last two steps are being eliminated to keep police department salaries from getting too far out of line with other city workers.
In an effort to reduce overtime within the police department, the city is changing the officers shift schedules and creating a new full time officer position. With the new hire, the police department will have fourteen full time members including the chief, captain, one lieutenant/investigator, two sergeants, an investigator, and eight full time officers, plus two clerks.
The city is also increasing its contribution to Justin Potter Library from $500 to $5,000.
General Fund Capital outlay projects for 2016-17 total $692,000 including the following:
*Fire Department equipment- $116,000
*New sanitation truck and trash containers- $350,000 (unspent from 2015-16 year)
*Street Department-Holmes Creek Bridge Project & Unspecified- $60,000
*Police Department Car & Unspecified- $30,000
*New Animal Shelter- $75,000 (unspent from 2015-16 year)
*Airport: Taxiway Initial Design & Unspecified- $20,000 (Mostly funded by grants)
*City Hall Building (Unspecified)- $25,000
*Public Works-Buildings & Grounds (Unspecified)- $5,000
*Parks and Recreation- $5,000
*Financial Administration- $1,000
*Legislative-$5,000
State Street Aid: Paving-$350,000
Water and Sewer projects including the following:
*Sewer Plant Rehabilitation- $2,750,000
*Tube Settlers for Water Plant- $40,000
*Backhoe-$80,000
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