Photo by Erin Nelson.
Mud covered roads, parking lots, and a displaced stormwater grate in the Olde Towne shopping plaza and Park South Plaza after heavy rain caused major flooding in July 2021. The city of Vestavia Hills’ fiscal 2023 budget includes $740,000 in funding for stormwater infrastructure.
The city of Vestavia Hills’ fiscal 2023 budget includes record funding for stormwater improvements, money for employee raises and other projects in the city.
The budget, approved at the Sept. 12 City Council meeting, projects an increase of more than 11% in revenues compared to fiscal 2022’s budget. The dollar amount is about $58 million, a roughly $6.1 million increase from 2022.
Still, in an effort to be conservative, the amount budgeted for revenues is equal to, not greater than, the actual projected revenues from the current fiscal year, City Manager Jeff Downes said.
Employee raises highlight the budget, in an effort to hire needed workers and help employees during an inflationary period, Downes said.
The city will absorb a projected 5% increase in the cost of health insurance; an across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment of 5% for all employees, with an extra 2.5% for public safety employees; the creation of an executive pay plan to allow for a one-step merit increase for department heads and assistants; and the continuation of longevity pay and merit increases for eligible employees.
FY23 Budget Highlights
►Total Budget: $58 million (estimated), a roughly $6.1 million increase from 2022
►Stormwater Improvements: $740,000, a 390% increase from 2022’s budget of $150,000
►Road Resurfacing: $1 million, a 43% increase from 2022’s budget of $700,000
►Master Police Officer Program: $10,000
SOURCE: CITY OF VESTAVIA HILLS
This year’s budget also includes an investment of $740,000 in stormwater infrastructure, a major increase from the current year’s investment of $150,000. It also includes increased costs for fuel, as well as the lease for a new public works maintenance building.
While the city won’t pay for them this year, an order for two new fire engines is also included in the budget, due to “unacceptable manufacturer-related fleet maintenance concerns,” Downes said.
New positions to be created within the city include a chief of building maintenance and an assistant city manager, who will assist with communication, economic development and “other strategic focus areas,” Downes said. Current communications director Cinnamon McCulley will be named assistant city manager.
The budget also includes a new annual $3,000 expenditure for a software service that allows the city to crack down on Airbnbs, which are not allowed in Vestavia Hills. The city is aware of some that exist, City Clerk Rebecca Leavings said, and the software will allow the city to find specific locations and revenues raised by those who host Airbnbs, and to shut them down.
In Parks and Leisure Services, Director Jamie Lee said the budget will allow him to examine ways to improve the Liberty Park Sports Complex. Lee also said there are some unknown costs factored in, specifically with the Civic Center, including maintenance costs, furniture costs and more. The city is also set to go out to bid sometime in September for Phase 1 of Altadena Valley Park. Lee said the city is also looking at material to possibly reduce Meadowlawn Park’s parking lot flooding issues.
In the Police Department, the budget funds $10,000 toward a new master police officer program, which allows for more extensive training for officers. The city will serve as Jefferson County’s “guinea pig” for the project, Chief Dan Rary said.
Downes said the impact of inflation is felt most with fuel costs, especially with vehicles that take diesel fuel. It’s a stress on the city, as well as on contract services like Amwaste. Since there is also a fuel cost to asphalt, that impacts the amount of paving the city can do, he said.
The city spent about $700,000 this year on paving and plans to spend about $1 million in fiscal 2023, Downes said.
