Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 7740 |
| Work Detail | West Lafayette plans to spend $14.3 million from its general funds in 2017, according to its proposed budget, which is about a 9 percent increase over 2016. Its total 2017 budget, which includes revenue from other sources, is proposed to be $22.66 million, West Lafayette City Controller Peter Gray said. He expects the tax rate for the general fund to remain about the same as it in 2016 — estimating it to be between 75 to 80 cents per $100 of assessed value. However, Gray said once the city publishes the budget, it cannot increase the estimate of the proposed tax rate, but it can reduce it. This is why it is common practice to estimate the tax rate higher in the fall. The published tax rate is $1.2088 per $100 of assessed value. He also estimated that the money lost to the circuit breaker — a state constitutional protection of property owners from runaway property taxes — will be about $1.1 million. In 2016, the assessed value that was not collectable because of the circuit breaker was $900,000, Gray said. The public hearing on the proposed budget is slated for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in room 106 at the Morton Center. The police department's budget is proposed to increase $423,870 next year over 2016's budget. "It's part of annexation," Gray said, referring back to the 2014 enlargement of the city limits, "trying to get our force up to cover that larger area." West Lafayette Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said, "The new officer is part of three-year plan for annexation. We added one officer per year for the past two years. This is the third of that additional allotment." The increase also includes an additional dispatcher, Dombkowski and Gray said. Additionally, health insurance costs are expected to increase 10.5 percent, Gray said, explaining this is noticeable in the city's larger departments. The fire department's budget is proposed to increase $334,080 next year over this year. West Lafayette Fire Chief Tim Heath said the increase is because a grant has expired after this year. "(We received) a federally funded safer grant to hire seven additional firefighters we received in 2014, then got an extension in 2016," Heath said. "It actually funded those positions for three years because we got an extension on it." But now that the grant expired, the city must pick up the tab for the additional personnel, Heath said. While the council approved the budget on its first reading, it must receive a public hearing. Then, Gray explained, if the council wanted to change it out of reaction to the public's comment, they have October to make the revisions. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Financial Services |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/2016/09/06/west-lafayette-eyes-22-million-budget/89921498/ |
