Auburn in the black, so far

Compared to the same period a year earlier, overall spending from the general operating fund was about $203,000 less.

However, the FY2010 budget called for less spending than in FY2009, and most departments as of March 31 had spent more than they did in the first half of that fiscal year.

Only four departments – the library, buildings and plant, public works administration and the downtown development authority – received larger budgets for FY2010.

However, 14 of the city’s 19 departments in the first six months of the current fiscal year spent more than they did in the first six months of FY2009.

Those most significantly outpacing the same period in FY2009 were the police department, which in the first half of FY2010 spent $100,000 more; financial administration, $40,000 more; the library, $31,000 more; public works administration, $23,000 more; parks and leisure, $22,000 more; buildings and plant, $15,000 more; and code enforcement, $12,000 more.

The downtown development authority also spent more the first half of this fiscal year, but it was created partway through FY2009, and its spending in the first half of the current year is under 50 percent.

The city’s Water Fund in the first half of the fiscal year collected 44 percent of the revenues budgeted for FY2010 but only spent 42.8 percent of its budget. So as of March 31, it showed an operating profit of $149,000.

Griffith said the reduced costs are because the city now buys its water wholesale from Barrow County instead of Gwinnett County.

He said the city has $3.7 million in cash in all of its bank and investment accounts.

That is enough money to cover three months of the city’s operating expenses, he said.

OTHER BUSINESS
Griffith also announced the schedule for the adoption of the city’s new budget for FY2011, which starts Oct. 1.

The public process will begin Aug. 3 with a special called meeting for the mayor and council to review the proposed budget and departmental goals and workloads.

A budget public hearing will be Aug. 19, and the budget’s adoption is scheduled for Sept. 2.

All three of the meetings are open to the public, begin at 7 p.m., and will be held in the council chambers adjacent to the Auburn Police Department on 4th Avenue.

The only official action taken at last week’s council meeting was the unanimous passage of a resolution designating the week of May 24-29 as “public works week” to recognize the contributions of public works employees to the city’s operations.

Public works director David Hawthorne said the city government plans to host a picnic for his employees on May 29.

Other items discussed in preparation for action at the council’s June 3 meeting were:

•A contract with Penn Credit Corp. to collect about $25,763 in overdue water bills from city customers. The company would charge a 16.5-percent collection fee for accounts that have been delinquent for less than two years. It would charge a 19-percent fee for accounts older than that. The company is a service provider for municipal clients who participate in the Georgia Municipal Association’s Debt Collection Service.

•The replacement of the city’s seven-year-old Cisco phone server, which is no longer supported by the manufacturer. Three options are under consideration. Council members expressed the most interest in a three-year lease totaling $28,044 that includes hardware maintenance. The vendor is CSC Leasing Co., which would purchase the equipment from VC3 Networks and lease it to the city for 36 months. At the end of the lease period, the city could return the equipment, upgrade it, or purchase it at a reduced price. During the transition to the new server, the city’s phone system would be down for 1-2 hours, but emergency calls would be routed to police department cell phones, according to city clerk Rafael Avalos.

•Renewal of a lease agreement with Pitney Bowes for a postal machine rental. The monthly cost is dropping by $3 to $201.

•Selection of a structural engineering firm to complete a structural engineering inspection for the three-story building on College Street that the city plans to develop into a cultural arts facility. The 18,000-square-foot building is more than a century old. Eight companies responded to the city’s request for proposals for the structural engineering inspection. The bids included Rosser, $12,000; IDS Global, $8,000; TLC, $6,800; Hartrampf, $4,000; Carter Watkins, $3,900; SDL, $3,000; United Consulting, $2,900; and Nannis & Associates, $2,800.

•Adoption of a new Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control Ordinance to replace the city’s 2003 ordinance. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division revised the state ordinance in 2009 and created some minor changes, according to Iris Slaton.

•The Georgia Department of Transportation’s planned installation of “mast arm traffic light poles” at two locations on Hwy. 8 in Auburn. The council discussed upgrading the style of the devices at a total local cost of $40,000-50,000. The new poles are to be installed at the Mt. Moriah intersection and at the County Line Road intersection.

•A letter of support requested by the Glenwood Barrow County High School Alumni Association in support of its first reunion June 18-20.

•The planned repaving of 4th Avenue. The item was on the table for discussion only. The cost could range from $85,000 for repaving of the road to the ballfields up to more than $634,000 for correcting drainage problems, widening the road to 22 feet of paved surface, and the addition of curbs, sidewalks and lighting, according to the public works director.