BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS OWNER
The City of Millbrook’s proposed budget for the coming year was unveiled Tuesday night at the City Council meeting for its first reading. Should the budget pass at the next regular city council meeting, it is very good news for current city employees and potential new employees.
The total proposed budget for the coming year is just over $18.6 Million and includes an increase in starting pay for multiple departments, a 5 percent across the board raise for all employees, merit raises, Covid money distribution to current employees and creation of several new employee positions.
This was just the first reading, and a full copy of the proposed budget is available for viewing at City Hall.
“This budget has been much different than any budget we have ever approached,” Mayor Al Kelley said. “Usually we try to keep expenses down and keep everything within means. This year (Chief Financial Director) Gina Williams and I looked at it on a completely different level. We looked at each and every department from one end to the other and tried to find ways that we could make our employees a little happier.”
Kelley said that in operating the city, there is always a need to keep up and purchase new equipment to get jobs done.
“But you can’t get them done without good people. We have good people. We haven’t been paying them what I think is a good wage,” he said. “So we sat down with each department head individually over a lengthy period of time. We talked to them about their employees. We have upped the starting pay in several departments -for the Police Department, the starting pay has gone up plus a shift differential increase. The dispatch department has gone up. The Fire Department has gone up as well as one more full-time employee and two part-time employees. There is an increase in the pay per call (for fire department volunteers) which is what we pay those volunteers every time they go out. We have been paying them $15 per call and now will pay them $20.”
Other departments seeing pay increases include the Court, Parks and Recreation, Street and Utilities Departments.
“Plus the Utilities Department will be receiving $50 per pay period for hazard pay. They have to deal with a lot of situations that others don’t,” Kelley said.
As far as administration goes, it includes an additional part time payroll employee and a full time IT employee.
“In the Police Department we have an additional animal control officer along with an additional truck. (Animal Control) has been overwhelmed with the animal control problems we have and so we found a way to get another animal control officer there,” Kelley said.
In the Street Department one full-time employee position has been added that will primarily work with bush hogging. “As you remember, we have an agreement with ALDOT to maintain their right of ways.” Kelley was referring to several areas in the city that are often overgrown, as they are controlled by the Alabama Department of Transportation. The city has now entered an agreement to maintain those areas properly at the city’s expense.
The Pines Golf Course will see the addition of two part-time employees.
“On top of all that, we will continue with a 5 percent across the board raise for all employees,” he said. It should be stated that Millbrook stands alone in our area to be able to say employees have received a raise every year since the late 90s, without layoffs or furloughs. Officials said that is a huge testament to the strong financial management of city finances.
Mayor Kelley talked about Covid money the city received, and said there is a plan to use those funds to benefit employees as well.
“We have come up with a plan, talked with every department head, and this is what we have,” he said.
For all current city employees – If employed between March 13 of 2020 and August 31 2020 and they are a full-time employee they will get a bonus of $4,000. If part-time, $2,000.
If employed between Sept. 1, 2020 to and Jan. 31 of 2021 they will receive $3,000 or $1,500 for part-time.
If employed Feb. 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 they will receive $2,000, or $1,000 for part-time.
If employed between July 1, 2021 and August 31 of 2021 they will receive $1,000 or $500 for part-time.
“The reason that we did that is because some of these people have been with us the entire time. We didn’t feel like it was right to pay someone who was just hired the same amount as someone who was here the entire time. So we staggered it to where the longer you were here during that crisis, the more money you get,” the Mayor said.
The payments will be split between three pay periods. Half of the payment will come in the Nov. 1 payroll. A quarter will be on Dec. 1, and another quarter on the Jan. 3 payroll.
“The total budget for this year is $18,667,000. Between all of the departments it comes out to about $14 million, almost $15 million. That leaves a net revenue of $4 million. We have debt service of $2 million. We should have a net surplus of $1.7 million. That is where the wish list comes in,” Kelley said.
“My belief since day one, and it has worked, is that if the money is there that is great. As the year goes on and revenues continue to come in, then that money is there for those that need trucks, tractors, police cars..whatever.”
Also within the budget is money for the mural grant program downtown. “We’ve allocated $30,000 in these numbers to do five murals. We will allocate the money to the Chamber and the Chamber will set up a group to review the applications. It will be a very detailed process as to what will be on the murals. We already have three or four businesses ready to jump in and do it. We want to scatter them downtown and I think it will be a big success,” Kelley said. “I think the mural that we have now has been extremely positive. We have had a lot of good publicity from it, and great comments from residents.”
Health insurance for city employees, which is paid completely by the city, increased 5.9 percent for the coming year, and that has also been factored within the budget for the coming year.
“When employees think that they are not getting paid as much as employees in the next town over…this is the third year in a row the city has absorbed the health insurance increase. We ate it. So between the five percent raise, the starting pay raises, the merit raises…if someone wants to pack up and leave because they are getting a dollar an hour more, they may want to think about that,” Kelley said.
“This has been a heck of two or three months. And I want to thank (Chief Financial Officer) Gina Williams. She has worked really hard on all of this. I want to thank all of the department heads. It has been a very long process, but we are really happy with the proposed budget,” Kelley said.
