2012 Budget Items Up For Final Vote

At it's regular meeting tonight at , the Fredericksburg City Council will most likely approve a second reading of many key budget provisions for 2012. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. The council  

Since then, the budget has undergone some late revisions. In a work session on April 28, the City Council directed city staff to make more than

Notable changes to the budget since last month include the addition of an accounting technician position for the city treasurer's office, the retention of a part-time victim-witness advocate for the Victim Witness program in the Commonwealth Attorney's office, an additional $75,000 in funding to conduct an overall management and operations review for the city as well as additional funding for tree replacement. A full list of recent proposed budget amendments is below.

Proposed FY 2012 Budget Amendments 

Line Item

Funding source

Sponsor

Additional funding requested

Hire consultant for overall management study

Fund balance

Council Work Session

$75,000

Retain part-time victim/witness advocate for city attorney

Contingency

Council Work Session

$25,300

Fund Safe Harbor

Contingency

Councilor Paolucci (Ward 4)

$5,000

Hire Accounting Technician for Treasurer's Office

Contingency

Council Work Session

$53,000

Grant program for the arts

Fund balance

Councilor Solley (Ward 2)

$1,500

Clean and Green Commission

Fund balance

Councilor Solley (Ward 2)

$1,500

PlanVirginia training for City Council members

Fund balance

Councilor Solley 

(Ward 2)

$3,000

Defund $6,000 from Tri-County Soil-Water District

Fund balance

Councilor Solley (Ward 2)

-$6000

Increase budget for tree programs

Contingency

Councilor Devine (At-Large)

$10,000

Additional Funding for Fredericksburg Museum

Contingency

Councilor Howe

(Ward 3)

$10,000

Funding for Rappahannock Area Council on Children and Families

Contingency

Mayor Tomzak

$5,000

Next year's operating budget calls for, among other things,   hiring new employees, awarding bonuses for full time employees, and investments in public works and maintenance projects which Cameron says are long overdue. 

The budget calls for the creation of three new positions; a budget manager ($96,000 annual salary), a deputy superintendent of street maintenance ($71,700 annual salary) and a deputy city attorney ($34,000 annual salary). The budget reveals that city officials are keen to go on a hiring spree if they had the money. The budget contained a list of 16 additional positions which various city departments had requested, but were unable to be funded this year.

The budget also calls for an $850 bonus for all full-time employees and pro-rated bonuses for part-time employees. The cost for these bonuses? $367,750, payable November 18, 2011.

The budget increases are offset by a few cuts, mostly in the city's regional government operations. Municipal funding for the Rappahannock Regional Jail would be reduced by $350,000. Likewise with the Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center, which would see funding decrease by $78,900. However, budget documents warn that the city should expect to see higher costs for the regional jail after next year.