Jamestown  (CSi)  The Jamestown City Council met in its first meeting to draft the 2020 City Budget on Tuesday morning at City Hall.  Council Member Buchanan was not present.

Major items now in the General Fund budget includes, the Jamestown Police Department, Jamestown City Fire Department, the City Street Department, along with budgeting for Jamestown City Hall Offices, plus hearing other budget requests.  Jamestown Administrator, Sarah Hellekson said, the Street Department will be removed from the General Fund and become part of the Stormwater Utility Budget.

She pointed out that the preliminary budget must be set by August 10 this year, and she noted changes in the North Dakota Century Code to clarify the budgeting process.

Other budget meetings will be held later this month and July and August, with the preliminary budget reading at the September 24 Finance and Legal Committee meeting and the Publication by October 7 this year.

On Tuesday, Jamestown Mayor Dwaine Heinrich asked that the 2019 fund balances be reviewed.

Highlights from Tuesday’s Meeting:

The general fund is projected to end 2019 with a balance of $1.7 million.

Ms. Hellekson noted that from January to May this year the city has spent $276,00 in overtime wages.  She says that stems in part by fewer fulltime employees and extensive Street Department hours with snow removal.

From January through April in 2019,  $181,859 was spent on snow removal with a significant amount of expenditures on equipment rentals and part time employees hours.

Other city department employees assist in snow removal when needed.

More snow removal expenditures will be coming from about October, through December of 2019.

The Homestead Credit and Veterans Credit, tax reimbursements will come in near the end of the year.

Other line items were reviewed concerning budgeting anticipated for 2019 and where the budget balance now stands, some revenues are lower than anticipated, but may change by the end of 2019.  Those include license fees for liquor permits, and dog and cat licenses.

Civic Center Concessions income so far this year is at around $40,000 with the anticipated revenues by the end of 2019 at $70,000.

The General Fund budget for 2020 is yet to be determined, including eliminating the Street Department which will be in the 2020 Storm Water Utility budget, with the 2019 budget expenditures now indicated in that budget.

Health Insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield is budgeted for an increase of 8-percent.

Mayor Heinrich said where the General Fund Budget balance was anticipated to be at this time in 2019, is on target with where it stands currently.

The City Fire Department will need to be budgeted for essential items and replacements.

The Police Department was budgeted for $3,000 for radio replacement or updates, and has expended  $6,800 so far this year, as Chief Edinger said the radios replaced, were 45 years old.

It was pointed out that the Civic Center heating expenses increased over 2018, with a hole in a section of the roof, plus colder temperatures last winter.   The cost of repairs for the Civic Center comes from the city Public Building Fund.

The Water Utility in 2018 spent $5,891,000 and the projected ending balance in 2019 is $8,000,000 the starting point for the 2020 budget.

With the Sewer Utility for 2019, city employee wages paid increased along the insurance costs.

The current fund balance is at $4.9, million dollars with the 2020 funding set at $3.8 million.

With the Solid Waste Department Budget, in 2019 garbage collections revenues were up, in 2019, with no increase in rates planned for 2020.

Overtime wages have increased in 2019, along with the cost of garbage container replacements, each garbage container costs from $300 to $500.

The City Council will continue to look at budget numbers which in some cases shows deficient spending in 2019, in order to balance the budget for 2020, including required dollars in the Reserve Fund.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 67, followed by replays.