City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed 2018 municipal budget and the annual Special Improvement District (SID) budget during a special meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.

The $54.8-million city budget projects an increase of about $82 on the average assessed home ($133,000), an increase of about 2.38 percent over 2017. Average municipal taxes were about $3,432 in 2017 and projected at $3,514 for 2018. Last year’s budget also increased by about the same average total. The amount to be raised by taxes is about $37.73 million, up less than 1 percent, or about $288,913, from $37.441 million last year.

The governing body introduced the municipal budget and SID budget for 2018 during its June 21 regular meeting. The municipal budget in its entirety can be found here, and City Council will vote on a resolution (AR-157-18) of budget amendments and the SID budget (AR-159-18). Tonight’s votes will come after public hearings on the two budgets.

The $140,000 SID budget is managed by the RABP. About $130,000 is generated through an additional tax levy of $0.351 per $100 of assessed value on 138 downtown commercial properties, with another another $10,000 raised through the annual Taste of Spring event.

Last year’s SID budget was identical to the 2016 spending plan but the proposed 2018 SID budget is slightly different in a few accounts. The expense side of the proposed SID budget breaks down as follows (with last year’s budgeted totals in parentheses):

• $65,000 ($70,000) – Executive team, full-time managing director, $40,000 ($45,000); part-time executive director, $25,000 ($25,000)
• $37,200 – Programming ($20,000)
• $12,000 – Marketing & communications ($20,000)
• $5,000 – Consulting ($0)
• $3,800 – Accounting fees ($3,500)
• $5,700 – Payroll taxes ($7,100)
• $2,700 – Insurance ($2,700)
• $2,000 – Bookkeeper ($500)
• $2,000 – Conference & meals ($0)
• $1,600 – Internet expense ($1,300)
• $1,500 – Attorney retainer ($1,500)
• $1,500 – Printing ($1,300)
• $500 – Office expense ($2,000)
• $200 – Office equipment ($500)
• $750 – Payroll processing ($0)
• $50 – Annual report ($0)
• $0 – Rent ($8,400)
• $0 – Postage ($200)

The SID was established in 1993 to “promote economic growth and encourage commercial development and improve the business climate.” In December 2014, City Council approved an ordinance to expand the SID citywide with an additional tax on other commercial properties throughout the city, increasing the SID budget to about $750,000.

The expanded SID was challenged months later in a lawsuit by a group of local business owners. The city appealed a judge’s decision and an appellate panel last summer struck down part of the original decision in 2015 and the two sides have been in settlement talks, with a trial date tentatively set for next month.