By Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal, August 11, 2009
Topeka's governing body decided late Monday it needs two more meetings, instead of one, to finalize the 2010 budget.
As members ended what was scheduled to be their final budget committee meeting, they had made $835,000 in unofficial revenue enhancements to city manager Norton Bonaparte's proposed 2010 budget but were still $1 million away from avoiding raising the city's property tax mill levy. And questions remained unresolved about funding for the police helicopter program and the city bus service.
So without taking a vote, governing body members are to meet as the budget committee one more time -- next Monday -- before approving a final budget Aug. 18.
City manager Norton Bonaparte on July 7 submitted to the governing body a proposed 2010 budget that would have increased the mill levy by 1.85 mills, from 30.68 to 32.23, which would mean a property tax increase of $21.28 for the owner of a $100,000 home. The governing body Monday evening started taking votes to determine what changes to that budget it will recommend in a committee report to itself that it may approve or reject in its entirety on Aug. 18.
Members started by narrowly rejecting a motion to accept the recommendation of the city's finance department that they allow the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority for next year only to raise its property tax mill levy by 1.4 mills over the current 3 mills. The 1.4-mill increase would mean a property tax hike of $16.10 for the owner of a $100,000 house.
The motion needed six votes for approval but got five. Voting in favor were Bunten and council members Deborah Swank, Jeff Preisner, Larry Wolgast and Karen Hiller while Bob Archer, Richard Harmon and Jack Woelfel voted against. John Alcala abstained, and Sylvia Ortiz arrived just after the vote was taken.
The governing body later took up a motion to cut $520,702 budgeted for operating costs for the police helicopter program and budget as revenue the $591,000 in insurance payments the city received after a police helicopter crashed last year. The proposal got four of the six votes needed for approval. Bunten, Alcala, Archer and Hiller voted in favor of it while Swank, Preisner, Woelfel, Wolgast and Harmon voted against it. Ortiz abstained.
The governing body then considered budgeting $440,000 of the insurance proceeds as revenue and continuing to fund the helicopter program but reducing its operating costs by $250,000. That also received four votes, with Preisner, Wolgast, Woelfel and Harmon in favor while Bunten, Hiller, Archer, Alcala, Ortiz and Swank voted against.
Harmon told Police Chief Ron Miller near the end of Monday's meeting that he saw the "handwriting on the wall" and doubted the governing body would approve a 2010 budget that would include funding operating costs for the helicopter program. But Miller noted that funding for that program continued to be part of the budget after the governing body Monday evening voted down motions both to remove and reduce it.
Governing body members Monday also:
n Voted 7-3 to recommend in the committee report that the city budget $650,000 more than was planned in franchise fees and $140,000 more than was planned in sales tax proceeds.
n Voted 6-4 to raise zoo fees by 10 percent to increase revenue by $48,000 and raise parks and recreation fees to bring in an additional $97,000.
n Voted 7-2-1 to budget $100,000 to go to Downtown Topeka Inc., which previously wasn't going to receive any funding.
Those moves when combined had effect of removing $835,000 in costs from the budget, leaving the governing body about $1 million short of avoiding raising the city property tax. But some members asserted they also need to make enough cuts and revenue enhancements to offset any additional property taxes Topekans must pay if the council increases the TMTA's levy.
Also on Monday, a motion to add $70,671 to the budget to fund senior services failed to get six votes. Bunten, Archer, Alcala, Ortiz and Harmon voted in favor of it while Swank, Woelfel and Hiller voted against it. Preisner and Wolgast abstained.
Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.