In an 'unprecedented position,' city geared to spend on public safety enhancements, equipment

Springfield's Office of Budget and Management director Bill McCarty contended the city is in the best financial position it's ever been in with the corporate fund as the public got its first glimpse of the 2024 Fiscal Year budget this week.

It is estimated the city's corporate fund balance could balloon to $57 to $60 million.

Public budget presentations continue Monday with other meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. All meetings at City Council chambers begin at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public.

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The corporate fund budget is $194.8 million, up significantly from its pre-pandemic level of around $130 million. The corporate fund is the principal operating fund for the city and excludes City Water, Light & Power.

McCarty said public safety enhancements, equipment and structures will be on the minds of city department heads. Lincoln Library will look to add four new staff members. Because of the rosier financial picture, the city has again put in more than it was obligated to police and fire pensions.

He also expected no tax increases and no personnel layoffs.

"We've continued to see overperformance in revenue in the corporate fund," McCarty said in an interview with The State Journal-Register. "There had been all of these projections in the fall--the stock m arket was going down, projections about recession and a bad Christmas season--but we're just not seeing that. Some of that is coming to fruition, but overall, not nearly to the extent it was going to.

"Because we're in that unprecedented position, that has given us the ability to put all kinds of things that have long been put off in previous budgets within this budget."

How different is the FY24 budget?

Typically, the corporate fund budget is 80% personnel services--employees, salaries and benefits.

"This budget is only 58%, which gives you an indication of how many things we've put in to improve public services and improve operations in the city," McCarty said.

Mayor Jim Langfelder said it's a critical time to reassess everything and to determine what the city's needs are in the post-pandemic world.

"That's what you're seeing with this budget on the capital expenditure side, but also on the personnel side," Langfelder said. "We're modifying all of the departments to see what the staff levels should be to provide services people want.

"It's all geared towards how do you serve after the pandemic. We've changed the dynamics of our operations. Fortunately, we're in a good fiscal position and use our (American Rescue Plan Act) fund dollars, but the majority of the funds are corporate fund dollars."

McCarty said about $22 million in the budget is from ARPA funds.

The budget, McCarty admitted, does reflect on the revenue side "the probability of a mild recession. Our revenue projections are conservative. My philosophy from day one has been that I'd rather have too little planned than too much. You either end up with a nice surprise or an unpleasant reality."

Here are some highlights of the proposed budget.

Firehouses

An additional $7 million has been slotted in for the construction of three firehouses. That's on top of the $12 million that was earmarked last year.

"We found out through the course of the year that it's going to cost more to build these firehouses, at least it's anticipated," McCarty said.

A lot of legwork has been done throughout the year, McCarty added, so if council approves the building of those firehouses, they will be done in the coming fiscal year.

Station 12 is the city's newest firehouse and it was built in 1996, said Fire Chief Brandon Blough.

Station 6 would move from 2156 S. Ninth St. to 11th and Ash streets, the former Honeywell-Hobbs property. Station 8 at 2051 W. Monroe St. would relocate to Lawrence Avenue, just west of Veterans Parkway, near a Dollar General store. Station 13 just off Woodside Road would be a new build.

Replace outdated equipment

The police department is proposed to receive $1.2 million for 23 police vehicles and the technology that goes into them.

"We still have Crown Vics. Crown Vics haven't been manufactured in 10-plus years," McCarty said. "I think there are 2012s on the streets with several hundred thousand miles. That's not a position we want our officers to be in. That's not a position we want our public to be in, so we're working to rectify that."

Langfelder said $200,000 of ARPA funds has been budgeted for digital speed limit signs.

"You set them up as a test, you can collect data if people are actually speeding, then you move them and deploy police where there have been issues," he said.

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Four signs have been designated for each ward, McCarty said.

There is about $600,000 in funding to do citywide implementation of the traffic preemption system for the fire department, McCarty added.

A box in a firetruck alerts traffic signals at approaching intersections in emergency situations and stops traffic from the opposite direction, McCarty said. It's currently being tried out on the southwest side of Springfield.

The money is split between the corporate fund and ARPA funds.

Demolition ahead

Public Works wants money for the demolition of 35 additional dilapidated homes and unsafe structures around town. The structures are vacant and have been condemned, McCarty said.

The price tag is $480,000, according to McCarty.

Canine fire investigator

The fire department's next new employee could be a four-legged one if all goes according to plan.

Fire Marshal Ed Canny Jr. said $5,000 has been designated for an accelerant detection canine.

The dogs are trained to sniff out traces of ignitable liquid accelerants that may have been used to start fires. Canny said the department has applied with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

If the application is successful, the dog would be paired with an arson investigator, Canny added. The costs cover training.

Earlier this month, cadaver dogs were brought in to search the former Land of Lincoln Goodwill building that burned on Christmas Eve. Up to a dozen homeless people were suspected of being in different parts of the building when the fire started. They were later all accounted for, Canny said.

Lincoln Library

Director Summer Beck-Griffith is hoping funds will help to reinvigorate the children's area of Lincoln Library.

Beck-Griffith said the library put in $60,000 for funding in equipment and $15,000 in contracting. The library has been working with ResourceOne, a local design company, to put together a master plan.

"This year, our priority is shelving because we have shelves that go up six feet high," Beck-Griffith explained. "It's not the best space for young readers, young children to come so we want to reinvigorate the space as well as build out an archway so there's one entrance into the children's section."

Among the four new positions the library hopes to get funding for is a Sangamon Valley Collection librarian. That person, Beck-Griffith said, would primarily be focused on cataloging and digitizing rare, one-of-a-kind maps of Springfield that's part of its collection.

The other three employees are scheduled to work with the library's Bookmobile, which was approved for purchase on Dec. 20.

Beck-Griffith said the library looks at it as "a mobile branch," featuring two computer terminals, free Wi-Fi, mobile programming, and a collection of 3,500 books, DVDs, hotspots, audiobooks, and other material.

The Bookmobile is expected for delivery in late 2023, Beck-Griffith said.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: A spending budget for Springfield Il includes public safety equipment