Biennial budget includes new city administrator position

All-day City Council study session on first two-year spending plan on Thursday at Lions Club

By Angelo Bruscas • October 16, 2018 1:30 am
Biennial budget includes new city administrator position

The Ocean Shores City Council on Thursday will begin reviewing the city’s first biennial budget for 2019-2020, after Mayor Crystal Dingler last week presented a proposed spending and revenue plan that starts with a projected beginning general fund balance of $1.92 million and ends 2020 with a projected balance of $1.5 million.

General fund department appropriations increase by 22 percent over the 2017-2018 budget. One of the key additions would be the hiring of a city administrator, which is why the executive/administrative department shows an increase of $364,430.

Overall, sales tax revenue is up 9 percent and hotel/motel tax revenue is up 8 percent, the mayor’s budget introduction states. Other indicators of the city’s growing economy: Property tax revenue is up 7 percent, with housing starts soaring by 54 percent. Dingler notes the budget incurs no new debt for the city, which has paid off $34 million of debt since 2012, “while also wiping out $2.2 million in inter-fund loans.”

“Thank you for another great year, Ocean Shores,” Dingler states in her annual budget letter. “We have come through a lot together. I look forward to great things in 2019-2020.”

The Council earlier this year agreed to move to a two-year budget cycle, so the next two months are expected to be filled with questions about the spending and revenue document, which is available online at www.osgov.com.

Among the general fund special projects in the budget are expenditures of $80,000 for design of a new city administration and police building; $44,000 for a new downtown access bus; $145,000 for the high dune trail; $40,000 for continuing the Kids Summer Fun program; $15,000 for the city website.

Other increases noted include $116,341 for City Hall, related to the hiring of a new facilities manager, human resources specialist and a part-time technology assistant in the second half of 2018; $357,451 due to the city’s funding the Library within the general fund beginning in 2018; $303,542 for filling three vacant Police positions; $542,051 for the added staff and equipment at the Fire Department; $251,515 for Engineering (erosion funding and dunes trail project); $379,551 for Planning, including the cost for an agreement with Ride the Wave Tour bus.

The Council’s all-day budget study session Oct. 18 begins at 9 a.m. at the Lions Club.