AURORA | Aurora’s plans to spend and hire are one step closer to coming true after receiving initial approval from city council.
The city’s amended 2015 budget, which received unanimous approval city council members Oct. 13, includes about $760,000 more for services and additional employees — above what lawmakers approved in their proposed 2015 budget in September. The 2015 proposed budget for the general fund is about $292 million, up 7.9 percent from 2013 budget of $269.8 million. Taxes from increased auto sales accounted for part of the increase. Car sales helped pad last year’s city coffers as well.
A total of $500,000 would go to additional one-time projects. That includes $250,000 for tree trimming, $100,000 for libraries and $100,000 for bicycle path improvements. The intersection at South Havana Street and East Idaho Place would also be getting a turn signal for $50,000. That money would come out of the city’s capital impact fees, according to Aurora Finance Director Jason Batchelor
A total of $267,000 would go to additional ongoing costs that include hiring two, additional full-time firefighters for $135,000 each. That’s in addition to hiring four firefighters at $268,500, and five full-time employees for two new fire medical service units at $600,000 as part of the proposed budget. Other new ongoing costs include providing the city attorney’s office with $100,000 for a special projects position, and $32,000 for boards, commissions, and community groups.
Batchelor said the additional revenue for ongoing projects would come from $470,900 that was originally budgeted for Aurora’s Sister Cities program. Originally, the program was budgeted as part of a new Office of International Initiatives with four full-time employees that would work for the city and foster relationships with Aurora’s immigrant and refugee committee That program has been changed so that Sister Cities will remain an independent non-profit. The program would receive $105,000 through 2015 for two full-time employees under the amended budget. Tahverlee Dunlop, who served as the program’s new executive director when it launched in 2014, has left the position.
The 2015 proposed budget also includes a 3.75 percent average pay increase for city employees at a cost of $6.4 million, and new full-time employees for police, fire, and parks departments. Last year, city staff saw a 1.5 percent pay increase that cost $2.3 million.
The city plans to hire the most new employees in the police department, with seven new police officers at $723,300 and six civilian employees at $784,100.
The final 2015 budget will be approved at a city council meeting on Oct. 27.
Must admit. I vote for the increases this time.