St. Marys lowest budget in years

ST. MARYS - The city's proposed 2020 appropriations, set at about $52 million after extensive revision, will be forwarded to city council for consideration.

And it's St. Marys' lowest budget in five years, safety service director Greg Foxhoven declared at Monday's finance committee meeting.

Committee members highlighted a number of proposed projects and purchases in the budget that were either removed or reduced before giving their seal of approval to a trimmed down version now ready for council action.

Foxhoven pointed out the proposed budget for the voted-tax fund has been lowered from the $2.4 million to $1.7 million.

He said a software error had created a rouhly $380,000 expense that should not have been there. Additionally, $344,400 had been cut from the list of proposed projects and purchases. Together, those numbers account for the change of approximately $724,400 in the budget.

With the correction of the software error and cuts made to the list of proposed projects and services, Foxhoven said both he and the city auditor believe the budget is now right where it should be.

The cuts from the first proposed list had been made after Foxhoven met with the city's department heads and checked which purchases and projects were deemed absolutely essential.

After meeting with fire chief Doug Ayers, Foxhoven said about $50,000 worth of purchases had been cut from the fire department's proposed list, which included replacing four self-contained breathing apparatuses and buying a CPR device.

Deleting proposed projects like the installation of an irrigation system at Memorial Park and painting the basketball court at K.C. Geiger Park resulted in $93,000 in savings in the proposed park budget.

The engineering department deleted line items such as the purchase of new survey equipment, rear-yard storm drainage replacement and the purchase of a new vehicle and reduced expected consultant fees for the Spring Street reconstruction between Wayne Street and Knoxville Avenue, resulting in $115,000 in savings from the original plan.

Line items deleted by the general services department included a half-ton pickup truck and Crown lift truck. The price of a mower with a cab and snow blower was also reduced from $40,000 to $22,000. The total savings for projects from the general services department was $66,000.

The police department was able to cut $34,400 from their proposed list of purchases and projects. The cost for replacing two vehicles went from $110,000 to $96,000, resulting in $14,000 in savings. Also cut were replacements for active-shooter rifle protection vest carriers, which would have been $6,400, and about $14,000 in general fund expenses, Foxhoven said.

Committee member Dan Uhlenhake questioned the items included for consultant fees and purchase of right of ways for the proposed pedestrian bridge, noting they had encountered a recent "bump in the road" concerning the right of ways for the project.

Foxhoven explained the state was working on the right-of-way issue, but the city wanted to keep things budgeted and remain ready in case the state's timeline for the project changed.

"We don't want to be caught not being prepared," Foxhoven said.

The proposed pedestrian bridge would be constructed east of Murotech Ohio and would run at an angle, going over four lanes of traffic over U.S. 33 and over an exit. The project could cost about $3 million, and Foxhoven said the city had already secured a grant for about $2 million.

Uhlenhake also noted the $500,000 set aside for a new pool bath house seemed high. Foxhoven said the project could come in closer to $800,000, but noted the old bath house would be demolished before a new, expanded one was built. City officials were reaching out to find possible means of funding the project, including requesting a state line item to partially fund it.

Asked for clarification from committee member John Bubp on the $3 million biosolids project listed under the city's water and sewer department, Foxhoven said the project concerned the sludge at the city's sewer plant. Methods are used for taking the wet sludge material and drying it, which helps with storage and transportation of the material, he said, and the Environmental Protection Agency had been pushing for municipalities to adopt the practice.

The biosolids project and the flow study to reduce overflow, which is another $3 million item, were both EPA-driven projects, Foxhoven noted.

If the projects would have a positive impact on the environment and extend the life of the sewer plant then that would be good, Foxhoven said, but he noted the benefits would come at a hefty price.

Council members will give first reading of the proposed budget ordinance at their next regular meeting on Monday.

Committee members also excused committee chairperson Bob Fitzgerald from the meeting on Monday.