South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Green Park aldermen OK 2014 budget with 6-0 vote

Preliminary plans approved by board for Panda Express

The Green Park Board of Aldermen recently voted unanimously to adopt a 2014 budget that projects a surplus of more than $50,000 in the general fund.

The 2014 budget projects general fund revenues totaling $1,080,340 with anticipated expenditures of $1,029,624 — a surplus of $50,716.

City officials project an ending balance of $3,204,955 in the general fund on Dec. 31, 2014. Of that amount, $2,764,955 is unreserved.

For the capital improvements fund, the approved budget anticipates revenues of $410,000 with expenditures of $400,000 — a surplus of $10,000. For 2014, city officials project an ending balance of $39,573 in the capital improvements fund.

Across both major funds, the budget projects total revenues of $1,490,340 with anticipated expenditures of $1,429,624 — a surplus of $60,716.

Revised figures for the city’s 2013 general fund budget anticipated revenues of $1,163,640 with projected expenditures of $1,397,305 — a deficit of $233,665.

For 2013, city officials estimated an ending balance of $3,154,239. Of that amount, $2,714,239 is unreserved.

In the capital improvements fund, officials projected an ending balance of $29,573 for 2013.

Projected 2014 revenue in the general fund includes $340,000 in sales taxes, $265,000 in electric utility taxes, $126,000 in telecom utility taxes and $100,000 from the road and bridge tax.

For 2013, officials projected Green Park will collect $325,000 in sales tax, $270,000 in electric utility taxes, $126,000 in telecom utility taxes and $100,000 from the road and bridge tax.

The three largest expenditures in the general fund for 2014 are $225,600 for police services, $225,600 for the city’s residential waste program and $150,000 for road maintenance. For 2013, the three largest expenditures in the general fund included $410,000 for street replacement/repairs, $223,446 for police services and $213,870 for the residential waste program.

At the Dec. 16 meeting, aldermen also voted unanimously to adopt a resolution approving the preliminary development plan for a Panda Express restaurant at 6304 S. Lindbergh Blvd., next to QuikTrip.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission earlier in December had recommended approval of the preliminary development plan for the Panda Express, which includes a drive-through lane.

Mayor Bob Reinagel, who serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission, said, “… Given the size of the lot and given what’s going in there, Planning and Zoning felt it was a great fit …”

The Panda Express building will be one of the company’s “brand-new prototypes released last year,” Jason Stucker of Klover Architects in Kansas City told aldermen.

Roughly 50 stores of the company’s more than 1,500 locations nationwide feature the new prototype design, he said.

The preliminary development plan for Panda Express includes four variances:

• The required 200-foot lot frontage is reduced to 176 feet.

• The 18-foot maximum height for the parking-lot light poles is increased to 22 feet.

• The 12-square-foot maximum size for the restaurant’s menu board is increased to 30 square feet.

• The 5-square-foot maximum size for a directional sign is increased to 6.76 square feet.

In a separate matter, aldermen voted unanimously to approve an ordinance changing the age requirement to serve as an alderman to 18 from 21. The new age requirement conforms with a change in state law, City Attorney Paul Rost said.

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