Of nearly $1.3 million in budget revisions for various purchases and projects presented to Bridgeport City Council this evening, a little more than a quarter of a million dollars of them were given formal approval. However, that doesn’t mean the rest of the money won’t be allocated.

 

Instead of approving all of what was listed as General Fund Budget Revision #7 and a portion of Capital Budget Revision #7, Council asked to have a work session on those items prior to the next meeting of Council. The session to discuss the budget revisions will take place prior to the regularly scheduled 7 p.m. meeting on June 8.

 

Many members of Council had questions of the General Fund Budget revision, which was for $740,008. The funds are the result of additional business and occupation tax dollars over and above what the city included in the original budget document.

 

Finance Director Monica Musgrave said the funds in the revision would go toward up to 50 purchases and projects. While no one disputed the need for the projects – provided by city department heads in a prioritized fashion – Council members did have plenty of questions. Council member Darrell Bowen was concerned with having such little time to review the document, particularly over a holiday weekend.

 

City Manager Kim Haws pointed out that Council did not have to approve the General Fund Budget revision this evening. He also said Musgrave and the city just received financial information relating to the additional B&O dollars in mid-May and provided it to Council as soon as it was available.

 

Council member Dustin Vincent suggested Council review the items in the aforementioned work session. All members were agreeable to that and Haws suggested that Council members that have specific questions could work with himself, Musgrave or Assistant City Manager Jimmy Smith to have specific questions answered even prior to the work session.

 

Musgrave did tell Council that a decision on the revision would have to be made at the June 8 meeting. She said that would be the last meeting before all revisions in existing fiscal year budgets had to be sent to the state.

 

The Capital Reserve Budget revision, which was for $698,965 thanks to the addition of $160,000 for the resurfacing of the tennis courts at the Lakes being added, didn’t have a time frame for approval. Funds in this revision came from three sources – outside fire service fee reserves, emergency services funds and additional funds in the hotel and motel tax line items. Council approved the expenditures from the outside fire service fee reserves (money held back until the State Supreme Court ruled the city’s fire fee was legal) and the emergency services.

 

The fire fee dollars, at $182,225, will provide several items for the fire department. The most money - $66,448 – will be for a complete replacement of turnout gear, while $50,000 will replace an engine in one of the units. There were also funds set aside for a new Main Street fire department generator, a thermal imaging camera and other items.

 

On the emergency service side, there were just two items totaling $74,490. The first item was $50,000 to go toward an escrow account that will create an EMS storage building that will allow the city to stockpile supplies in the event of an emergency. The second item was $24,490 for a generator to be installed at the Benedum Civic Center.

 

The third portion of the Capital Reserve Budget revision dealt with the hotel-motel tax the city receives. The total of $442,250 is required to be used on parks projects.

 

Whether the items included in the revision happen will be determined by Council at the work session. Along with the resurfacing of the tennis courts, some of the other larger projects included $55,000 for laser grading of various baseball fields, $60,000 for batting cages at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex and $40,000 for additional renovations at the Benedum Civic Center among others. As mentioned, those items could be changed as all have to be approved by Council, which a vote is expected June 8.

 

In other business, Council:

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Council member Dustin Vincent who asked for a work session to discuss the budget revisions presented this evening, while City Manager Kim Haws is shown in the second photo. At the bottom, a proclamation is presented to Sarah Carr by Bridgeport Mayor Robert "Bob" Greer.