Council gives preliminary nod to Nevada's annual budget

The Nevada City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday night, with councilman Russ Kemm excused, to pass on first reading the 2008 city of Nevada fiscal budget.

The total budget of $24.3 million, which was passed with fewer questions than usual, includes $4.98 million for personnel costs, $2.91 million for supplies and services, $798,000 for capital outlay, $14.7 million for capital projects, and $230,767 for debt service.

"The overall operating budget is increased from $7,598,307 in 2007 to $7,893,946, which is recommended for 2008. This reflects an increase of 3.8 percent, most of which is in the higher cost of fuel and energy and an adjustment to the employee pay plan. The pay plan adjustment equalizes the percentage increase between ranges and steps and ensures that salary adjustments are equitable between the various classifications of employees," City Manager Bill McGuire read from his prepared budget message accompanying the budget.

McGuire told the council that he is also recommending an increase in the entry-level pay for firefighters, since the current pay scale has made it very difficult to recruit firefighters.

"I don't know if there are guidelines to base it on for certain areas, but I see where the operating budget is $7.5 million and the amount for personnel is $5 million of that," councilman Mike Hutchens said.

McGuire said that in his 40 years of doing city budgets, he has found that 60-70 percent for personnel is normal.

"What we recommend is what we think will work. It will only work if we manage every nickel. Spending is easy -- revenue is harder to manage," he said.

Nevertheless, McGuire said that if the revenue does not come as projected, there are ways to slow expenditures.

"My vote won't be as informed as I'd like it to be," councilman Tim Wells said, adding that he would like to have more time to study it before voting on it.

McGuire told the council that he just finished working on the budget Monday night and that if they would like to have a special work session on the budget the city staff would be glad to meet with them.

In other business, the council:

* Voted 3-1, with Mike Hutchens voting no, to pass on first reading a general ordinance amending Section 25-6 of the city code to allow city employees to run for certain elective offices.

The current city code prohibits city employees from running for any elective office unless they resign from the city.

The amendment would change that to prohibit city employees from running for "(1) the city council, or (2) any partisan political office, or (3) any partisan or non-partisan office of a governmental body or political corporation whose governing body meets regularly within three m miles of the corporate limits of the City of Nevada, Missouri, thereby resigns from the city employment."

Councilman Bill Gillette, who originally proposed allowing city employees to run for elective office, said that he thought the three-mile exclusion in the ordinance was discriminatory. Since firefighters must live within four miles of the public safety building they cannot run for elective offices; while police officers, who can live anywhere in the county, are not prohibited from running for office.

Bill McCaffree, city attorney, said that he did not think this is discriminatory. The three-mile exclusion was included to avoid conflicts with government entities with which the city is likely to have dealings.

"This opens a lot of things that are not open now," McCaffree said.

This change will allow city employees to run for school boards in Bronaugh, Walker, Sheldon, Schell City or the rural water districts in Deerfield and Milo, as well as for other boards that do not meet within the three-mile exclusion area, McCaffree noted.

"I see no reason to change what's already there, since no one has complained about it," Hutchens said, before casting the lone "no" vote against the ordinance.

* Accepted the low bid of $7,115 from Brentag of Springfield for 12 dry tons of caustic soda for use in the treatment process at the city's water treatment plant. Since the actual delivery my vary by weight the council approved the bid with a not-to-exceed amount of $8,000.

* Approved paying Layne Christensen Company $20,806 for making emergency repairs on water well No. 2 when the pump shaft on well No. 2 broke and the pump became inoperable.

Layne Christenses is familiar with the city's system and is able to make emergency repairs to deep wells. They were able to make the needed repairs to within one week.

* Voted 3-0, with Mayor Bill Edmonds abstaining, to re-appoint Chuck Edmonds to the Nevada Regional Medical Center board of directors.

* Voted 4-0 to re-appoint Phillip Martin to the NRMC Hospital Board.

Voted 4-0 to appoint Bill Denman to his first term on the NRMC board.

* Gave final approval to a special ordinance authorizing Brian Leonard to sign copies of duplicates of city council minutes between Aug. 2, 2005. and Dec. 22, 2005, that were inadvertently lost or shredded while they were being scanned into the city's database.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving a settlement agreement in the amount of $14.17 in back taxes from US Cellular. "It cost us $800 to get it," Nevada City Manager Bill McGuire told the council.

* Held a public hearing and voted 4-0 to adopt Resolution No. 1212 approving participation in the Missouri Depart-ment of Transportation's Taxi Coupon program.