AURORA | Aurora’s proposed 2014 budget won’t include any cuts to services or programs. That was welcome news to Aurora City Council members who heard details of the annual budget and reports from the city’s departments Sept. 19.

“This is the first budget since 2007 that does not include proposed reductions,” said City Manager Skip Noe.

The 2014 proposed budget for the general fund is $268.5 million, up 6.9 percent from the 2013 budget of $251.3 million.

The budget is higher partly because of an unexpected surge in auto sales taxes this year, though the number of car purchases in the city is sure to taper off next year, said Jason Batchelor, the city’s finance director.

“It’s like Christmas morning because we don’t have to talk about budget cuts,” said Dave Chambers, director of Aurora’s Public Works department.

In 2013, the budget shortfall was $3.7 million and in 2012 it was $7.4 million.

A handful of projects are being funded in next year’s city budget including additional tree trimming services for residents at a cost of $250,000 and several transportation projects related to the Interstate 225 FasTracks light rail line at $14.3 million. Other expenses in the 2014 proposed budget include: $60,000 in funding for a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. at the MLK Library, $1 million in upgrades to Moorhead Recreation Center, and $2.3 million for a 1.5 percent pay increase for city staff. Also included in the 2014 budget is $22.6 million set aside for bonds for a new police and fire training facility near the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds. The new facility would replace the current training facilities spread throughout the city, which police and fire officials have said are extremely outdated.

Several department heads said at the meeting that they were proud of their accomplishments during the past year. Matt Cain, Civil Service Commission administrator, said the city saved about $750,000 because the Department of Justice concluded its four-year investigation into police and fire testing practices without taking any action against the city. Patti Bateman, director of the city’s library and cultural services department, said about 37,875 people participated in library programs last year, up from 3,460 in 2010.

Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.