Agenda - Council - 03/09/1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The effect of the adopted 1999 tax levy on a residential property valued at $100,000 (with no change in assessed valuation from 1998 to 1999) would be a increase of 10.04% or $24.54 in the share of the taxes paid to the City. Any increase in the assessed value of the home would have a different result. The total General Fund operational budget was adopted at $4,397,903. Payroll accounts for more than half (57.39%) of the total budget. The General Fund accounts for the following types of services: General Government - Council, administration, finance, cohunissions, planning and zoning, and legal. Public Safety - Police, fire, protective inspections, animal control, and D.A.R.E. Public Works - Street maintenance, snow and ice removal, and engineering services. Parks and Recreation - Park maintenance, community services, and environmental services. The 1999 budget adds one full-time Community Development Secretary, one full-time Public Works Maintenance Worker, and one part-time Administrative Assistant. The budget also includes funding for capital equipment. Looking Forward The two biggest concerns as the City of Ramsey enters 1999 is the continued uncertainty of State funding sources and the imposition of property tax levy limits by the State. Many of the aid programs continue to be reduced, shifted to other taxing jurisdictions, rolled into other formulas, or eliminated altogether. While the levy limits imposed for payable 1998 and 1999 allowed for a growth, the factor used by the State is simply too constricting to allow City services to meet the expanding demand for public services from a growing community. The actual process to prepare the 1999 budget began in late 1997. Throughout 1998 there were public work sessions to discuss requests and recommendations for 1999. The process ended with the formal Truth-in-Taxation public hearing that was held at the Municipal Center on November 30, 1998, and the subsequent adoption of the levy and General Fund budget on December 8, 1998. City Staff is already gearing up to begin the 2~.000 budget process. Ramsey has a long history of fiscal conservatism when it comes to the general operations of the City. Using the 1999 population estimate of 18,750 residents and 5,500 households, the City will levy $108.56 per capita and $370.17 per household in taxes in 1999. Both of these measures continue to be significantly below the average in the Metropolitan area and below all but a few communities of similar population. During 1998, Ramsey had 42 full-time employees, and 3 regular part-time employees. The ratio of staff members to citizens has changed little over the past 10 years and is lower than any other metro area City in Ramsey's population class that maintains a full-time police department. The City recognizes that it will become increasingly more difficult to deliver quality public services at such low ratio of staff members to citizens and efforts will be made throughout 1999 to determine where the greatest needs should occur in staffing.