Mayor presents budget at Patterson council meeting

For the first time in over a decade, the council was presented with a budget 45 days before its fiscal year ended as mandated by the city charter.
The budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, 2014, was submitted by Mayor Rodney Grogan at the Tuesday night council meeting and will be discussed in a public hearing at next month’s meeting.
Grogan called the budget “fiscally conservative” with a “continuation at present service levels” in his written budget message to the council.
The budget calls for the city to tap into its $21.7 million fund balance with $2 million dollars in capital outlay expenses that will not be covered with projected revenues.
With the exception of the capital outlay expenses, most of the revenues and expenditures for the next fiscal year are less than the past year’s amended budget totals. The budget projects revenue collection of $7.73 million and expenditures, including capital outlay of $9.57 million
The 2015 budget included an amended 2014 budget. The amended budget increased projected revenues over the original budget by almost $403,000 dollars (a 5.4 percent variance) and increased expenditures by almost $435,000 (a 6 percent variance.)
The amended 2014 budget has about $140,000 in revenues over expenditures. The amended budget leaves the city with a fund balance of $21,703,504.
The council voted to keep property millage rates constant at 16 mills for the payment of public improvement bonds and 8.2 mills for the general alimony tax. Keeping the millage at the same rate allows for increased tax collection on assessed property values that have gone up.
The council introduced ordinances to not allow new mobile homes and modular pre-fabricated homes along Main Street. That ordinance reflects the recommendation of the zoning committee which met last week, city attorney Russel Cremaldi said.
Any such mobile homes, there are 14, that are currently on Main Street would be “non-conforming” and as such would not be allowed to be replaced if they are destroyed or moved, Cremaldi said.
Grogan said after the meeting that those homes would be “grandfathered in” and allowed to stay.
A public hearing is planned on the issue at the June 3 council meeting.
The council passed a resolution establishing a bail bonds and fines policy. Grogan said this was an attempt to follow best practices suggested by the legislative auditor and to establish a paper trail of accounting when money enters the city funds. The policy requires that, except under extenuating circumstances as the city charter allows, the elected police chief govern bail, fines and fees that must be paid by money order or cashier’s checks only.
In other business the council:
—Recognized two students from Patterson, Deandre Diggs from the junior high and Wilkie Collins from Hattie Watts Elementary, who were among the 41 Acadiana students recognized as COX heroes.
—Recognized its two meter readers, Laura Campbell and Thomas Gardella, for their conscientious work in locating unknown and unread meters.
—Heard a brief presentation of information regarding the increasing costs of city employee insurance benefits.
—Allowed the mayor to enter an agreement with Check Pulse out of Lafayette for an IT consultant contract to the sum of $990 per month plus additional billings.
—Allowed the mayor to contract with Municode to do a comprehensive analysis and recodification of the city’s municipal code which has not been done since 1964. That cost would be about $10,000.
—Allowed the mayor to renew the annual contract with the Louisiana Department of Development and Transportation which reimburses the city for work it does to keep state highways clean.
—Approved a May 24 can shake at Catherine and Main streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Mount Pisgah to raise money for scholarships to be given to high school students.
—Adopted proclamations in support of Teachers Appreciation, Secretary Week, Foster Grandparents Month, East End Relay for Life. Loyalty Day and Older Americans Month.