Edmond mulls cutting budget by $745,000

BY DIANA BALDWIN Comments 1
Published: November 14, 2009

EDMOND — City Manager Larry Stevens is proposing $745,000 in cuts to this year’s general fund budget because sales tax collections are 7 percent below projections.

The proposed cuts, from six areas, will not affect daily city services, Stevens said.

"We are not in a budget crisis,” Stevens said. "We are making adjustments. If you look at other cities, we are more fortunate. But in six months we have not met our projections.”

The biggest general fund adjustment is possible with a change in how money is collected for ambulance service in Edmond.

On Nov. 1, people who did not opt out of the program began being charged $3 on their monthly utility bill for ambulance service.

City officials said the change will save the city $420,000 for the rest of the fiscal year.

Other suggested savings are:

• Reducing the Centennial Groves project — a tree planting and landscaping program — from $100,000 to $25,000.

• Delaying the implementation of an updated citizens’ satisfaction survey, a $25,000 savings.

• Postponing the replacement of carpet in the administration building, a $25,000 savings.

• Delaying design work on replacing a bridge on E Second Street, a $50,000 savings.

• Cutting the city council contingency fund from $300,000 to $150,000.

The proposed cuts are expected to be approved by the city council; a list of suggested cuts was discussed this summer in anticipation that the sales tax collections would not keep up with the projections.

Stevens said there is no way to tell if additional cuts will be needed to balance the general fund budget.

"We believe this is what is appropriate at this time,” Stevens said. "We don’t see improvements at this time, but we are not economists.”

If further cuts are needed, Stevens said officials have more suggestions to consider.