Riverdale Park Council Approves $6.23 Million Budget for FY13

By a 4-1 margin, the Riverdale Park Town Council adopted a $6.23 million operating budget for fiscal year 2013 Monday night, a 3.1 percent increase over this year's budget.

With the same vote, the council set the town's real property tax rate at 65.4 cents per $100 of assessed value and its personal and operating property tax at $2.00 per $100 of assessed value. The town's current net accessible base—i.e., the total value of taxable property—stands at $587,872,385 for FY 2013.

The budget includes a $855,401 transfer to the town's capital fund. Earmarked capital spending for FY13 is set at $650,500, leaving an additional $204,901 in unallocated capital funds.

Among the major changes in this year's spending plan was the inclusion of a new administrative position at town hall, an addition that prompted Ward 1 Councilman Jonathan Ebbeler to cast the sole nay vote.

Ebbeler said that he "had not received satisfactory answers" during the budget process as to why a new position was needed to carry out town services.

"It's fine that we have a surplus of funds, but governments typically get in trouble by making decisions for today when there are consequences five years and ten years down the road," Ebbeler said. "Our benefit costs are close to 50 percent of salaries. It's a huge burden for us to sit there and undertake without having any substantial evidence to support this."

But Ward 2 Councilman and Finance Committee Chair Alan Thompson, who supported the measure, said that Mayor Vernon Archer and Town Administrator Sara Imhulse had "worked very long and hard to evaluate whether this was needed or not, and agreed that it was."

"I believe it's absolutely necessary, and I believe it will be a long term net benefit to the town, in both responsiveness to council needs and citizen needs and to the financial bottom line," Thompson said.

Ward 4 Councilman Henry said that while he heard Ebbeler's concerns "loud and clear," he supported the new hire.

"I expect us to get a true value from this person. I expect to see great improvements in the administrative staffing," Henry said. "I went out on a limb to support this initiative."

The budget also includes $50,000 toward a new dispatcher in the .

Ward 3 Councilman David Lingua, who introduced the amendment, said that police officers currently have to cover for dispatchers upwards of 400 hours a year due to a staff shortage.

"It's my feeling, with the current staffing there, that this department is stretched thin," Lingua said.

Police Chief David Morris called it a "critical situation," in part because civilians can perform the same work at a much lower rate than sworn officers.

Below is a rundown of FY2013 operating expenses, capital expenses, and anticipated revenues. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Adopted FY12

CAPITAL EXPENSES

ANTICIPATED REVENUES