Poplar Bluff City Council members expect to pass a nearly $15.4 million budget Dec. 17 that includes $3 million for the completion of a Shelby Road extension and the salary of the director for Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc.
The budget was a workshop item Monday for the council.
Other projected spending for 2019 includes a 3 percent raise received by employees in October of this year, but no new increases, said city manager Mark Massingham. The possibility of raises will be reassessed toward the end of the summer, he said.
The city will deficit spend approximately $35,000 in 2019, said Massingham. Final figures regarding the general fund cash balance for 2018, or deficits for the Black River Coliseum, health insurance fund and other funds are not available yet, he said.
The budget was compiled with input from the heads of city departments, who also attended the council meeting, said Massingham.
"(They) and the employees, they're the ones that operate the city. It's not me. It's those guys that get out there and work every day on the streets and the utilities, the police and fire and everybody else," said Massingham. "We've got a great group of department heads and I just want to thank them for being here tonight. They had a lot of input into this budget and I just want you to know, we appreciate all of you."
Work on the Shelby Road extension from Highway PP to Highway 53 is expected to be complete in late winter or early spring, Massingham said during the budget presentation. The final $3 million for that project will come from transportation development district sales tax revenue.
An expense of $50,000 has been included for the contract position of the DPB director.
Mayor Susan McVey asked that the city look at options for making that a regular employee position, rather than a contract worker.
The city is also considering adding duties to this position related to the promotion of the Black River Coliseum, said Massingham. The coliseum, which is located downtown, saw a $13,000 profit from the recent Gary Allan concert. This also provided additional business to downtown restaurants Haffy's and Bronze Owl, Massingham said.
Other changes in the 2019 budget include the elimination of a finance director and addition of a human resources manager. The finance director's responsibilities will be split between human resources and the city collector's office, Massingham said.
A portion of the salary for a part-time person at Margaret Harwell Art Museum is also being added back to the budget after being eliminated in 2018.
"It actually created several problems this year, with being able to get the exhibits up in a timely manner and some secretarial duties," Massingham said.
The capital improvement fund will see about $2.4 million in expenses for a variety of department needs, including fire and police equipment. This will also include a possible $125,000 in matching grant money to pay for 15 percent of bridge and road improvements on South 11th Street, where the city hopes to announce the addition of a new factory in 2019.
In future budgets, the city will also need to prepare for spending to address the needs of a new city hall and police department, according to Massingham, who budgeted almost $100,000 in lease payments for rented facilities in 2019.
The council also needs to be aware of the need to replace the runway at the airport at some time in the future, Massingham said. The city's portion of this would cost $490,000.
A budget for Municipal Utilities includes spending of more than $46 million. Both the electric and water and sewer departments expect to end 2019 in the black, according to figures presented to the council.
The electric department projects revenues of $41.41 million, with spending of $40.34 million. The water and sewer department should see revenues of $6.23 million, with spending of $5.93 million, said Bill Bach, utility general manager.
Other spending includes (figures approximate):
Police -- $4.96 million
Fire -- $2.49 million
Street -- $1.36 million
Miscellaneous -- $4.15 million (includes $3 million for Shelby Road extension)