The Edmond Sun

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January 23, 2012

Council may increase budget

James Coburn The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — City of Edmond Finance Director Ross A. VanderHamm has recommended a 3 percent budget increase for fiscal year 2012-13, beginning July 1. VanderHamm based his conclusion  on the last seven months of sales tax revenue of the city’s current budget.

The percentage rate will impact not only the general fund budget, but also police, fire, parks and capital improvements, VanderHamm said.

“If we go from a 2 percent original budget to a revised 3 percent, that’s probably going to get us a little closer in the ball park,” VanderHamm said to the City Council Monday during a budget workshop.

The current Five-Year Budget Plan calls for a 2 percent budget increase through fiscal year FY12-13, followed by 3 percent growth through FY12-16.

With this year’s budget growth of 3.5 percent, VanderHamm suggested that the council modify its five-year budget plan to 4 percent for FY13-14 through FY15-16.

“I don’t believe 4 percent is out of line. It’s not what we’ve seen recently, but it’s historically less than what we’re used to,” he said.

Mayor Charles Lamb said he realizes the city has a lot of pent-up interest in capital improvements. But Lamb and Councilwoman Elizabeth Waner said they would be more comfortable with a half-percent move from 3 percent to 3.5 percent.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a half-cent (used),” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Waner.

VanderHamm said the new economic reality may make it more realistic to begin using a half-cent increment when planning budgets. Total revenues and transfers increased to $72.7 million for FY10-11 from $67.897 million in FY09-10, VanderHamm said.

He said his forecast is also based on the good news of the city’s Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) codes.

“I think that gets down to how people are spending money and how that trends,” he said of consistent growth patterns during the past six years.

“Even in the last few years that we saw some major drops, there was some consistency in certain SIC codes,” VanderHamm said. “So I feel like that’s what I look for.”

Details of the SIC code through December indicate:

• Stone and concrete through December is up 26.53 percent, or $47,079

• Wholesale durable goods is up $14,004, or 1.29 percent

• Building materials is down $43,092, or -2.06 percent

• General merchandise is up 1.85 percent, or $78,761 out of $4.328 million for the first six months

• Food stores is up 10.83 percent, or $200,635

• Furniture is up 3.10 percent, or $40,849

• Eating out is up 4.65 percent, or $128,688 for the year out of $2,899,079.

City Planner Bob Schiermeyer said the reason why the building materials SIC score is down by 2 percent is because last year took into account the construction of Integris Edmond hospital.



jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114

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