On March 8, 2009, I submitted a budget to the Board of Finance and the Board of Representatives that provided a 0% increase from the 08/09 fiscal year budget and supported all of the operating departments in the city as well as the contingency. All municipal services were to continue. It provided every municipal employee with job continuation and the 3% increase that they were to receive contractually as well as “steps” for new employees. For those unions who had not yet negotiated an extension of their union contract, those calculations were made and included in the contingency. The only increase that was included was the actuarially determined contribution to the pension funds which suffered in the downturn of the markets and the 40% contribution to OPEB. The city budget increase represented only a 1.41% increase ($2,788.966) which resulted in the municipal budget submission totaling $201,195,784.
The Board of Education came to the city with a request for a 3.75% increase on their base budget, pensions and OPEB contribution. City support to the Board of Education increased by 2.73%. The only reduction in the Board of Education budget was that for lesser funds required to support debt service as the city intended to refinance bonds during the last quarter of the current fiscal year. In total the budget for the Board of Education increased by $7,191,583 and totaled $252,717,386.
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