City of Edina 2012 Budget

[reposted from my blog here]

Tonight is Budget Night.  Well, technically, it’s a City Council Meeting night.  But for those of us involved in the city government budget making process, tonight is the night when the City Council takes final action on the proposed City budget for 2012-2013.  Tonight is the culmination of a long process and a lot hard work.  It’s the night where the City Council can come together nicely or break into factions.

What will happen tonight?  I am not a betting man, but I believe the Edina City Council will end the night coming together rather breaking apart.  The budget proposal that I will be making to them tonight is a reasonable one.  It grows some services (economic development, facility management and environment protection), but holds most everything else we do at current levels.  It places a stronger emphasis on tighter management of our municipal enterprises (golf course, ice arena, art center, aquatic center, liquor store, etc.).  It includes additional funding ($700,000) for capital improvements and ($300,000) for technology upgrades.

Our Total Tax Levy increase to support all of the above, and much much more, is 1.79% from 2011.  This creates an increase in tax burden for the median single family home in Edina of 2.7%, or $28 for the year.  I’ve been in the city management business long enough that I know enough not to call that increase low.  But, I will call it modest, particularly when the 2011 Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) is currently projected to end 2011 at +3.5%.

It’s about 3 hours until the Council meeting starts.  I suspect we will be getting to the budget discussion around 9pm.  If all goes well, we will have a budget approved and ready to share with the world by 10pm tonight.