Office of the City Clerk
May 1, 1997
It was not necessary to hold
a Budget Work Session
at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Workroom.
Special Meeting
Thursday, May 1, 1997 - - 7:30 p.m.
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Please take notice that there was a Special Meeting (Budget Adoption) of City Council held on Thursday, May 1, 1997, at 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chamber of City Hall, Alexandria, Virginia, for the purpose of considering the following items.
/s/Vola Lawson, City Manager
OPENING
1. Calling the Roll.
The Meeting was called to Order by Mayor Donley, and the City Clerk called the Roll; all Members of City Council were present.
Council Action:_______________________________________________________________
2. Consideration of The Proposed Annual Operating Budget for FY 1997-98 (including Schools) and The Proposed Capital Improvements Program for FY 1998-2003 (including the Schools CIP). (#2 4/7/97; #2 3/18/97)
City Council approved the City Manager's proposed FY 1998 Operating Budget in the amount of the expenditures of $264,791,139, and revenues of $254,936,000, adjusted as follows with revenue adjustments first: (1) an increase of $200,000 in the estimate of General Fund Sales Tax Revenue; (2) an increase of $61,000 in the estimate of General Fund Restaurant Meals Tax Revenue; (3) an increase of $49,000 in the estimate of General Fund Transient Lodging Tax Revenue; (4) and a reduction of $250,000 in the estimate of General Fund Personal Property Tax Revenue, to reflect the estimated fiscal impact of the proposed personal property tax relief program; [The net fiscal impact of the revenue adjustments noted in the four previous items is a net increase in General Fund Revenues of $60,000.]; and further approved the following expenditures adjustments: first, transfers and designations that as proposed have no additional fiscal impact on the total budget; an approval of a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for all City employees, including the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and for City Council aides and the Mayor's aide; approval of a 3 percent merit adjustment for all eligible City employees, including the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk, whose eligibility for this increase shall be conditioned upon a satisfactory performance evaluation by City Council; approve a set-aside of $57,720 within the Children's Fund for the Mt. Vernon Program for Four-Year-Olds; approve the transfer of monies budgeted for Camp Cora Kelly After-School Program, pending a report on who shall be responsible for the program operation for School year 1997; further, with the additional City salary adjustments, approve a reduction of $1,600,000 in the Non-departmental contingent reserves to offset a portion of City employee compensation adjustments; approve a 3 percent Market Rate Adjustment for all City employees effective January 1, 1998 in the amount of $1,738,500; approve a reserve to address other City employee pay adjustments of $500,000 with instructions to the City Manager to begin the review of necessary adjustments at the Police Department; approve a reclassification of Deputy Sheriff and Fire positions effective January 1, 1998 in the amount of $215,000; approve additional career ladder opportunities in the Police Department of 62 slots, Office of Sheriff of 29 slots, and Fire Department the number of slots still to be determined in the amount of $191,550; approve an increase in City employee pay range maximums by 10 percent in FY 98 [this is included in the Manager's proposed merit funding amount and no additional fiscal impact will be incurred in the FY 98 budget over the Manager's proposed budget]; other general fund expenditure adjustments to include a reduction in the General Fund appropriation for Transit Subsidies based on a revised estimate of State aid to be credited to Alexandria at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission in the amount and a deletion of expenditures as $1,060,000; approve an Education and Tuition program budget to use for job-related course work as an addition of $96,200; approve an Award Program budget to recognize outstanding performance by City employees with one-time cash awards, to be implemented by October 1997, to enable employee representatives to have input into the procedures and guidelines for this program in the amount of $39,000 as an additional expenditure; approve $3,000 to the Recreation Department's budget for the Tennis Plus Program; increase funding in the Department of Human Services budget for the AmeriCorps Service to Alexandria Project operated by the Northern Virginia Urban League in the amount of $20,000; increase funding in the Department of Human Services budget for the St. Martin's Senior Center in the amount of $20,000; add funding to the Apothecary budget in the amount of $20,000 as a first half of the year funding contribution pending report to City Council in January for a long-term plan; further approved the appropriation from Fund Balance to make an appropriation from the General Fund balance necessary to balance the FY 1998 Budget as amended, which includes an increase of a $183,250 above the Manager's proposed appropriation to make a total adjustment appropriation from Fund Balance will be $9,978,389; further is the adoption of the FY 1998 General Fund Budget, as amended, with total expenditures of $264,974,389, and total revenues of $264,974,389, that includes a General Fund appropriation to the Alexandria City Public Schools of $85,934,818 with a real property tax rate of $1.07, and a personal property tax rate of $4.75; further is the adoption of the FY 1998 to FY 2003 Capital Improvement Program and funding plan as proposed by the City Manager and including the following amendments: approved the reappropriation of $90,300 from the Chinquapin Park capital budget to cover budget shortfalls in other recreation projects that has no net fiscal impact; deleted the Chinquapin restroom and outdoor drinking fountain project, and reallocated monies for recreation projects in the Capital Improvement Plan which is a deletion of $55,000; added capital project funding to install a playground at Montgomery Park which is an addition of $50,000; and added $5,000 in FY 2003 of the Cameron Station project for the future planning and development of a multi-use, multi-purpose, multi-generational recreation facility in the East End Park of Cameron Station.
The City Manager was requested to docket the compensation pay philosophy which was considered by the Watson Wyatt Committee which includes the commitment to the establishment of a pay scale for public hearing on Saturday, May 17, 1997; and consideration on May 27, 1997
Council Action:_______________________________________________________________
3. Consideration of the Draft One-Year Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development, and the City's Application for FFY 1997 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships Program Funds (HOME) for the Period July 1, 1997-June 30, 1998. (#3 4/7/97)
City Council approved and authorized the submission of the One-Year Action Plan, which includes the budgets and funding applications for the CDBG and HOME Program for the City's Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Council Action:_________________________________________________________________
4. Second Reading and Final Passage of AN ORDINANCE to Establish the Real and Personal Property Tax Rates for Calendar Year 1997 (#4 4/7/97; #14 3/25/97). [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
City Council finally passed the Ordinance on its Second Reading which would set a rate of $1.07 for the real property tax rate, and $4.75 for the personal property tax rate, noting that this does not represent an increase.
ORD. NO. 3924
Council Action:_______________________________________________________________
5. Receipt of the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Award for the City's FY 1997 Budget Document.
City Council received the award. Mayor Donley presented it to Management and Budget Director Godwin.
Council Action:_______________________________________________________________
The Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
This docket is subject to change.
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Full-text copies of ordinances, resolutions, and agenda items are available in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of the Council. Meeting materials are also available on-line at https://alexandriava.gov/council.
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Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the City Council meeting may call the City Clerk and Clerk of Council's Office at 838-4500 (TTY/TDD 838-5056). We request that you provide a 48-hour notice so that the proper arrangements may be made.
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