Board Passes $2.4 Million Budget

The Bourbon City Council on June 30 passed a $2.4 million budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

The budget is an increase over last year’s $1.6 million, but also includes American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and the final reimbursement for the community development block grant (CDBG) that rebuilt Pine Street.

It also includes overtime grant funding for the Bourbon Police Department and ARPA funding, Delta Regional Authority funding and Department of Natural Resources engineering services funding for the sewer department.

Those funds are going towards the UV disinfection system at the wastewater treatment plant.

Bourbon’s FY 2022-23 budget includes:

$643,430 for city hall;

$10,000 for the municipal court;

$563,398 for the police department;

$182,250 for the street department;

$38,721 for the park department;

$285,760 for the water department; and,

$722,805 for the sewer department.

Wages

The council approved a 3% cost-of-living allowance to all city employees that became effective July 1. 

An increase of $1 per hour, plus a 3% COLA was given to two public works employees.

City hall wages are broken up into 12 months of the city clerk’s salary, two months of the deputy clerk’s salary and salaries for the mayor and board of aldermen for the year.

Police officer wages were increased by approximately $68,560.06.

The police department is fully staffed and has five full-time officers (including Chief Scott Zwetow) and a part-time officer.

Wages are anticipated to be higher in the upcoming fiscal year than budgeted in the previous year.

Wages in the public works department is determined by a percentage of work performed in each department the prior fiscal year.

Wages are flagged by department shown on each individual timesheet.

This is paid due to worker’s compensation laws and regulations.

Each department is a different rate under worker’s compensation.

Wages were increased in the sewer department by $23,209.85.

Other Expenditures

The city has one payment remaining on a water system upgrade project that is due in July, which will save nearly $66,000. City Clerk Cathy Bremer has increased the capital expenditures in the water department to $44,430.

The city decreased its commitment to Steve Black for services at the wastewater treatment plant by $6,000. Black is only expected to provide services from July through December.

Income

The city has budgeted more sales tax income as a result of the local use tax that was passed April 4.

The new tax goes into effect Aug. 1 and it is reflected in the city hall, police and park income.

Excess revenue was removed from the park department’s income.

The budget is down from $45,500 in 2021-22.

Bremer said she believed the park’s income will be less than their expenditures at the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The park board is asking for some of the state’s ARPA funding for equipment purchases.