Employees, infrastructure top 2022 budget priorities
Adding new employees and improving the city’s infrastructure are some of the top priorities in the fiscal 2022 budget for the city of Vestavia Hills.
The city would pay for those changes with a nearly 9% expected increase in revenues compared to the 2021 budget, City Manager Jeff Downes said. The city expects revenues for the general fund to be roughly $52 million for 2022, compared to about $48 million budgeted in 2021.
The Vestavia Hills City Council passed the budget at the Sept. 13 City Council meeting. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Downes proposed to spend roughly $13.5 million for the Vestavia Hills Police Department and $12.6 million for the Vestavia Hills Fire Department.
Two new police officers will help patrol the Acton Road and Altadena area, and six firefighters will be hired as well, Downes said. This year’s budget also included a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees and funds enough police vehicles that each officer can take a vehicle home.
As recreational options expand with Wald Park, Cahaba Heights Park and the New Merkel House, there will also be 12 new positions within the Parks and Recreation Department, some full time and some part time, Downes said. The new positions are a mix of labor positions and administrative positions, including a director of parks and recreation and a senior event manager.
Highlights of 2022 Budget
► New employees for Parks and Recreation: 12
► New employees for Police: 2
► New employees for Fire: 1
► New employees for IT: 1
► New employees for Public Works: 1
► Nine miles of street repaving
Priorities for this fiscal year include improving the information technology department, “freshening up” older facilities and preparing for the new Vestavia Hills Civic Center coming online either toward the end of 2021 or early 2022, Downes said. Facility upgrades included the replacement and addition of artificial turf at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex and Wald Park, along with improvements to the Liberty Park Athletic Complex and the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest.
This year’s proposed budget also would fully fund longevity pay and merit increases and included more money to cover health care and benefits. Downes said it is the city’s way of showing its commitment to employees while improving their ability to recruit top-notch talent.
Infrastructure is another key priority of this budget year, Downes said. The budget included money to resurface about 9 miles of residential streets, which is slightly more than in years past, except for one year when the city paved 20 miles of streets to get “caught up.” The specific streets are not yet known because the city is working on a three-year plan for street paving.
The city also, for the first time, is putting dedicated dollars for stormwater pipe replacement on public property. This is in addition to the study by Schoel Engineering that will identify problems and propose solutions for problem flooding areas.
Money is also budgeted for enhanced maintenance at facilities such as Wald Park and Cahaba Heights Park, Downes said.
The expected increase in revenues follows record-breaking sales tax receipts in fiscal 2020 and 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. It also coincides with a 15% increase in Vestavia Hills’ population since 2010, as documented by recently released numbers from the 2020 census.
“It’s something to be proud of,” Downes said.