Politics & Government

Recommended City Budget Could Mean Pay Raises in 2013

City Manager Jim Zumwalt presented his recommended FY2013 budget to council Tuesday and said that $196,000 in contingency funds could be used for raises.

Manassas Park employees may receive a two percent raise under a contingency of the $34.4 million proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget presented to city council Tuesday.

 City manager Jim Zumwalt told city council members that at this point, it looks like there is going to be $196,000 in contingency funds available. This is based on city officials, “best guesses” about what money the city has to pay and what revenue it will receive from property taxes and other sources.

That amount could dwindle between now and when the budget is approved by council in May, but if it doesn’t, he is recommending the money be used to give city employees a two percent raise, Zumwalt said.

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The $34,474,315 recommended FY2013 budget is 0.5 percent more than the current approved budget of $34,307,341, according to city data.

The 2013 budget includes:

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  • $17.3 million city operating budget
  • $6.4 million debt service transfer
  • $10.6 million school operating fund transfer.

Under the recommended budget, the school operating transfer amount would increase by 0.5 percent. Manassas Park City Schools are set to receive at least $54,000 more from the city in FY2013, .  This is partially because of the end of the decade-old revenue-sharing agreement between the two entities.The new agreement calls for the schools debt service fund and the city debt service funds to be merged, with the city continuing to pay both obligations.

The recommended budget does not include information about the enterprise fund budget because city officials are still working on it and are expected to have it ready in a few weeks, Zumwalt said.  The enterprise budget is comprised of the water and sewer, solid waste and storm water management budgets.

The city is not projecting any major budget shortfalls like the

The city made some hard choices, but ended up with a balance budget in the end, Zumwalt said.

City officials from all departments  were able to effectively present a balanced FY2013 budget by taking several cost-saving measures.

These measures include freezing vacant city positions—including the deputy fire chief position—delays in making new hires to save money on salaries, reducing the use of fuel and electricity by five percent and reducing printing and copying costs.

No changes in the property tax rate are anticipated, but the governing body will discuss the budget and the tax rate at its March 6 meeting.

A town hall meeting is planned for March 6 or March 20, the day of a governing body work session.

The governing body is expected to adopt the FY2013 budget and the tax rate on May 15.

 

 

 

 


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