FY 14-15 Adopted Budget

COMMUNITY SERVICES RESULT AREA SUMMARY

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS 

The Community Services FY 14-15 budget includes the recently created Neighborhood Development Department, which was formerly part of the Planning and Community Development Department. The Result Area also gained a division, Community Relations, within the Human Relations Department. Community Relations was formerly part of the Public Affairs Department.  The total Result Area budget is increasing by just under $1 million in FY 14-15, but without including the added Neighborhood Development Department or Community Relations Division, the Result Area budget is actually decreasing by over $800,000 or over 2%.  FY 14-15 is the first full year in which the McNairy Branch Library will be operational. The total department budget is increasing by just over $73,000, including the restoration of the FY 13-14 one-time reduction of $40,000 in the collection inventory budget.  In FY 14-15, Parks & Recreation is proceeding with the elimination of City-run volleyball programs and reducing the operating hours of Smith High School Pool as previously planned. Budget reductions also include eliminating three (3) positions, including two (2) specialists related to the service level change in volleyball and Sportsplex operations, and one (1) analyst position related to an interdepartmental effort with Libraries to improve technology efficiencies and share resources. The department also transferred custodian positions and service provision to the Engineering & Inspections Department in an effort to consolidate services and increase efficiencies.  The FY 14-15 General Fund contribution to Cemeteries increases from $423,091 to $451,316, an increase of $28,225 or 6.7%.  FY 14-15 will be the first year that the Community Relations Division is part of the Human Relations Department; it was previously part of the Public Affairs Department. The Human Relations budget includes the elimination of one (1) administrative position from the Human Relations Division.  During FY 13-14, the Planning and Community Development Department underwent a reorganization and became two separate departments, Planning (Infrastructure Result Area) and Neighborhood Development (Community Services Result Area). The Neighborhood Development Department will manage the local code compliance program, as well as the Nussbaum Housing Partnership Fund and federally funded programs such as CDBG and HOME. The Neighborhood Development budget for FY 14-15 includes $240,000 in new revenue from an increasing emphasis on enforcement of zoning civil penalties and minimum housing re-inspection fees and civil penalties. The Department is also budgeting over $180,000 in fund balance in the Housing Partnership Fund to fund an increase in homelessness prevention services.

Adopted FY 2014-15 Budget

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