##VIDEO ID:HfREZHx0p9M## all right just a reminder Council people to when you speak directly into your microphone please we got Grand okay he's on all right ladies and gentlemen good evening all right the date is Tuesday September 10th 2024 the time is now 5:31 and the City of Willison city council meeting has come to order M right would you please call roll mayor Goodman president thank you president Cox here vice president hind absent council member Jones here council member Martin here council member ricko city manager Terry Bard here city clerk Latricia Wright I am here Finance director Steven Bloom he's online attorney pierston blo she's not here and all other staff thank you all right thank you everybody we all stand for the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance by the mayor please join me if you choose Lord we come to you tonight with the very special business this is a business that Lord we know as a council affects each and every citizen in our area and Lord we just ask you to give us the right words to say it help people to understand why it is what it is and to give us guidance in all that we do in your name amen amen Al to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands indivisible andice for all thank you sir all right this is going to be an open public hearing item one introduce the tax issue council president Michael Cox the city of Williston proposes to Levy a millage rate of 6.75 this is a 2.2% increase from the rollback rate of 6.6 031 Mills all right public participation this is uh open to the public for comments regarding the proposed tax rate okay all right item three resolution 2024-the to adopt illage rate of 6.75 for fiscal year 2024 2025 I will entertain a motion for approval I make a motion that we approve resolution 20249 second any other discussions all those in favor say I I I okay or zero all right we're going to continue with an uh open meeting for the second one item four introduce the budget council president Mel CS all right the city of Williston proposes to adopt a budget for the fiscal year 2024 d225 with the total appropriated expenditures and reserves of 28 million $731,000 per increase from the 2023-24 total expenditures and reserves all right annual 5 public participation it's open to the public public for comments regarding the proposed budget Mr Fuller please as the council is making decisions I just want to remind the council that 13.3 is a big increase and you consider what your citizens Albert Fuller uh 13.3 is a large large increase compared to what people citizens normally receive in a year um if you're lucky you get a salary increase but that salary increase never usually is above about 3% and somehow we have to consider tightening our budgets and tightening our belt to the point where this city operates within a normal increase for uh the general public at some point we're going to reach a point where there's some citizens that probably will not be able to live in the city but they don't have anywhere else to go and that needs to be considered uh when we're talking 28 million I think I did the math is somewhere around 8,000 per person or a little over $8,000 per person um that that budget represents and that's that's a lot that's a lot of money and so just want you all as you're making decisions please consider the fact that you have some citizens that are already hurting and we can only we can only go so far or the citizens can only go so far and there part of these citizens that actually never get a salary increase and the ones that do social security you're lucky if you get 2.5% so consider 133% yeah in 10 years you're talking about incre if if if we continue at that rate we're talking about uh doubling almost tripling the budget during that period of time so please consider the citizens the marginalized citizens there's some of us that probably won't be hurt at all probably won't be hurt very much at all but I'm really concerned about the marginalized citizens in this in this community okay thank you just to make a comment to Mr fer if I can millions of those dollars of course as you know are grants so they don't go to the citizens to pay their dollars that are in our budget that were given to us as grants uh by the federal government state government whoever so they don't that $88,000 per person that you're saying does not come from our from our citizens um and I will just say too that one of the things that I looked at when I was comparison comparing our budget today when I started looking at the last one we looked at and the one we looked at today it's come down over $100,000 from when we started this process so I think that been Fair a fair amount uh considering that they gave us Bare Bones to start with that would be on okay anybody else any comments okay TR here hang second Mr President also um you know that the average employee raise this year was 3% and some got 3.4 so I just wanted to point that Mr a Mr Bloom have any yeah I I'd love to just piggy back on on that to to say that um the general fund is has got a 5.7% increase the Utility Fund only has a 2.4% increase the big numbers as mentioned are in the airport and the CRA fund which you know those are those that money is is generated um grants or from the county or something so that that the really when you pull all that stuff out with project wise is is that the numbers are under double digits okay anybody else have any more right item six resolution 2024-the 2024-25 with total appropriated expenditures and reserves of 28 m731 953 13.3% increase from the 2023 2024 total expenditures and reserves I will entertain a motion move approval of resolution 202499 you have a second I second any discussion further all in favor say i i i 4 Z just wanted to commend the staff for bringing us a slim budget because I think they all came with that mindset to begin with um as I mentioned we did cut it around 100,000 not quite from when we started initially because I've got comparisons in the book and I looked at those before I came tonight and I do appreciate everybody's sincere effort to do that and that increase is a lot of money that we earn through grants that that looks really bad like we've increased it but I'm proud of them also for getting that so just wanted to add that grants are our friend yes sir well all righty step five the public public hearing for the adopt of the final millit rate in budget is scheduled for September 24th 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at city of Willison council chambers at this time we will close the public hearing and item seven would be adjournment wej I a second a second all in favor say I I for all right