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

Proposed Crestwood budget includes employee pay hike

Full-time urban planner post for mall redevelopment included in proposed budget

A proposed 2015 budget for the city of Crestwood includes a 2-percent salary increase for employees and the addition of a full-time planning position.

Crestwood aldermen discussed the proposed budget during a work session last week. Ward 3 Aldermen Bill Boston and Paul Duchild were absent from the Nov. 5 meeting.

The proposed budget projects total expenditures of $12,759,916 with anticipated revenues of $12,008,800 — a deficit of $751,116.

With an estimated beginning fund balance of $6,737,696 on Jan. 1, an ending fund balance of $5,986,580 is projected on Dec. 31, 2015.

The Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing on the proposed 2015 budget when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, As proposed, general fund revenues for 2015 are projected at $7,987,200, including a $131,000 transfer from the park and stormwater fund, with expenditures estimated at $8,261,780 — a deficit of $274,580.

Regarding the proposed salary increase for employees, City Administrator Mark Sime said during the work session, “… The 2-percent pay increase is included at this time in lieu of the pay plan being enacted and implemented. If the pay plan gets to the board and is approved by the board and implemented in January, then that will take the place of the 2-percent pay increase that is proposed inside the budget.”

Besides the addition of a full-time planner, which is included in the city administrator’s budget, three part-time positions are included in the proposed budget — one in the city clerk’s office, one in public works administration and one in public works fleet management.

“… We’re asking for a position to be added and that is a position of planner …,” Sime said, “This person will assist the city in the economic and urban development process, and the person hired will be an urban planner …”

Ward 4 Alderman Mike Vincent asked, “This is a staff urban planner?”

Sime replied, “That is correct.”

Vincent said, “We just approved on RFP (request for proposals) last meeting for a consultant to help us with planning …”

Sime interjected, “With the planning for the Crestwood Plaza and put out an RFP for a consultant to help do the comprehensive plan.”

Vincent asked, “And neither of those is this person?”

Sime said, “That is correct. This person will be on staff to help the city throughout the processes for the Crestwood Plaza redevelopment process, help through the comprehensive plan process and continue working with the city as we move forward … through any other development processes that we have.”

Ward 4 Alderman Mike Tsichlis later asked for additional clarification about the urban planner position.

“There is going to be more going on in the city during the redevelopment and the planning processes than will be handled by just the consultants,” Sime responded.

Vincent requested a position description of the urban planner position.

The proposed budget includes $50,000 to pay a planning consultant to assist with the creation of a citywide comprehensive plan.

The proposed budget also includes a $25,000 increase in legal fees — to $135,000 from $110,000, Sime said.

“This is in anticipation of increased legal fees during the development and redevelopment processes,” he explained. “Though we hope to have some of the legal fees offset by agreements with the developer, we know from the past experience and the past developer that we did incur legal fees that were not reimbursable …”

Regarding the increase in legal fees, Vincent asked, “… (I’m) not really questioning the number as much as I’m questioning from where does it come? Is there an experience factor in here from years past or has somebody who’s dealt with developments and the things that evolve in that kind of churn? Who says that’s a good number, is my only question.”

Sime said, “I went back in the records to 2013 when we were doing some of the redevelopment with Centrum, and the legal costs that we were tracking at that time were approximately $25,000 that we paid out for fees associated with the development. And that was over and above what the — what we were reimbursed through the agreement with Centrum.”

At one point, Tsichlis asked Roby if the proposed budget included a salary for the mayor.

“… Does the mayor’s salary stand as a line item then for next year?” he asked.

“That’s correct,” said Roby, who was elected mayor in April.

During a Board of Aldermen meeting last November, Roby suggested aldermen and then-Mayor Jeff Schlink should rescind their pay, saying it would send a message to city employees that elected officials are participating in cutbacks with them.

As proposed, 2015 revenues for the park and stormwater fund are projected at $1,891,500 with estimated expenditures of $1,491,136, not including transfers of $131,000 to the general fund and $252,000 to the capital improvement fund — a surplus of $17,364.

For the capital improvement fund, revenues of $2,373,000, including a transfer of $252,000 from the park and stormwater fund, are projected with estimated expenditures of $2,867,000 — a deficit of $494,000.

Included in the capital improvement budget is $300,000 for building improvements and repairs, and $240,000 for vehicles for the Public Works Department.

In a memo to the board, Sime wrote, “The motor vehicle money is to be used to purchase vehicles to replace two pickups and a dump truck used for snow plowing. All three trucks need replacement this year as maintenance costs have grown and make any further repairs uneconomical.

“The trucks are in bad shape and do not present a proper image for the city of Crestwood. If any of these trucks are pulled out of the budget this year, they will definitely have to be replaced next year, potentially pushing back another year the next set of vehicles which need to be replaced.”

Also budgeted is $48,000 under heavy equipment for a skid steer.

“The heavy equipment fund will be used to replace the skid steer, which was in the budget request for 2014 and removed by the board,” the city administrator wrote. “This piece of equipment needs to be replaced.”

The city’s Ways and Means Committee discussed the proposed budget during two meetings last month, reducing it by roughly $154,000 before voting to recommend the budget be presented to the Board of Aldermen.

Committee members include Roby, Ward 1 Alderman Darryl Wallach and Ward 2 Alderman Tim Trueblood.

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