Mayor: Budget fits goals

Wagnon says 2001 spending proposal meets priorities set by city council.

By FREDRICK J. JOHNSON

The Capital-Journal

A reduction in personnel, an ever-so-slight reduction in the mill levy and maintenance of essential services are the keys to Mayor Joan Wagnon's proposed city budget for 2001.

Wagnon unveiled her budget proposal Wednesday and said she thought it met the Topeka City Council's priorities of maintaining the same level of services without increasing the property tax mill levy.

The budget is the first prepared under guidelines of an ordinance adopted this spring that requires the council to set its priorities by the first Tuesday in May and the mayor to submit a budget in accordance with those priorities by the first Tuesday in July.

Highlights of the proposed budget include an estimated 2 percent increase in sales tax receipts, plans to reduce the city's payroll by the equivalent of 50 full-time positions and maintaining a 9 percent ending balance in the city's general fund to protect its bond rating. The 50 positions make up about 4 percent of the city's work force and will be eliminated mostly through attrition or retirement. The budget proposal also is based on a 5.6 percent increase in the city's assessed valuation, which will allow the city to cut its mill levy by 0.161 mills --- to 31.624 from 31.785 --- while generating an additional $1.26 million for city operations.

A mill represents $1 in property taxes for each $1,000 of assessed valuation. Under the proposed budget, the owner of a house appraised at $100,000, which is assessed for tax purposes at $11,500, would pay $363.67 in property tax, down $1.85 from the $365.52 tax bill to support the city's 2000 budget.

Wagnon's budget proposal calls for property tax revenue of $24,651,760 to support general fund expenditures of $52,506,270 and an overall operating budget of $143,658,673.

Half the proposed reduction in personnel will be gleaned from the public works department, where staffing is expected to drop from 362 this year to 337 in 2001. Jeff White, public works director, said the department would continue to rely on advances in technology, more efficient use of remaining personnel and innovative ways of operating to offset the loss of employees.

The Municipal Court is expected to cut eight employees by eliminating its warrants division and some data entry and office assistant positions.

Municipal Court Judge Neil Roach said new software implemented during 2000 and a reorganization would allow the court to function without the eight positions.

Some of the people now in the warrants division will move to the Topeka Police Department, where they will continue their current duties and help that department's record section.

The police department itself is expected to cut three positions by rearranging supervisory and management functions. The department has 350 employees this year and is budgeted for 347 employees in 2001.

The police department budget includes funding for its helicopter program and the purchase of 25 new vehicles next year, Police Chief Dean Forster said.

And even within the staff reduction, Forster said, the reorganization of duties will allow the department to put an additional officer on the street in 2001.

Wagnon praised all the city's department heads and budget director Jim Langford for their help drafting a spending plan that fit within the city council's priorities.

It is a balanced, performance-based budget funded within the existing mill levy, she said.

Wagnon noted that the city had failed to reach a contract agreement with the firefighters' collective bargaining unit and wasn't able to budget a specific increase in that department's salaries for 2001.

The proposed fire department budget is based on the existing wage scale, she said, but she will ask the city council to approve allocating $680,000 to provide a funding pool for firefighter raises.

Fire Chief Jerry Kingsley said negotiations with the firefighters' collective bargaining unit are at an impasse and a fact-finder has been called into the negotiations.

Police department expenditures would increase to $21,098,239 in 2001 from $20,214,163 this year under Wagnon's proposed budget. Fire department expenditures would drop to $14,546,307 in 2001 from $14,958,001 this year.

Kingsley acknowledged that the proposed budget for his department could increase because it doesn't yet include a figure for raises. The reduction in the budget proposal presented Wednesday was made possible by not scheduling any major capital outlays or upgrades of facilities for next year, he said.

See MAYOR, page 12-A

Mayor

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