1 of 4
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Firefighter Steve Hopson pulls a large truck tire, simulating a victim pull from a fire, at the Vestavia Hills and Rocky Ridge joint fire training facility during a job task training. The City of Vestavia Hills 2024 budget includes pay increases for the Vestavia Hills police and fire departments and capital investments to provide a training facility.
2 of 4
Photos by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills Police Department patrol units. The 2024 city budget has allocated funds for the department to purchase four new patrol vehicles to complete the one-to-one vehicle initiative.
3 of 4
Photos by Erin Nelson.
Replacing the shingled roof on Vestavia Hills Fire Station 5 in Cahaba Heights is one of two roof replacement projects in the city’s 2024 budget.
4 of 4
Photos by Erin Nelson.
The city’s 2024 budget includes money for library outreach programs in Liberty Park and Cahaba Heights.
The Vestavia Hills City Council recently passed its fiscal year 2024 budget, the city’s largest and most ambitious budget to date, city officials said.
The comprehensive financial plan includes a $66.4 million general fund budget — an 11.5% increase over the fiscal 2023 general fund budget of $58 million — and money for an array of capital projects, public safety and city services. The budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, also has pay increases for city staff, particularly the police and fire departments.
In total, expected spending for the Vestavia Hills Police Department ($14,375,875) and the Vestavia Hills Fire Department ($13,352,154) accounts for roughly 41% of the total general fund budget. The remainder is spread among other departments and city priorities, including public services ($5,627,945), parks and leisure services ($4,467,350), the public library ($3,014,519), administration and finance ($2,117,606).
The fiscal 2024 budget initially was presented to the City Council for a first hearing during the council's Aug.14 meeting. In his opening remarks, City Manager Jeff Downes delivered a comprehensive report explaining the budgetary process and how the budget addresses the priorities of the council. Additionally, he explained that the budget is based on past city revenues rather than projected economic growth.
“As a longstanding practice, my staff and I have utilized a conservative budget drafting process to deliver a spending plan that directly correlates with the strategic vision of the City Council, while constraining the plan to a revenue projection that is based upon actual past receipts as opposed to speculative growth of revenue,” Downes said.
The 2024 general fund budget takes into account the following seven focus areas that came out of strategic planning sessions:
- Improving city aesthetics for economic sustainability and community perceptions
- Improving city infrastructure as a foundation element for Vestavia Hills residents
- Continuous improvement to community quality-of-life amenities
- Providing more efficient city services
- Continuing prioritization of a safe community experience
- Continuing to act as good stewards of taxpayer resources
- Providing consistent, exceptional customer service
“These are all notable goals and part of my regular leadership conversations,” Downes said. “However, the rubber meets the road when these principles are made part of a spending plan. … Budget conservatism and adherence to council-mandated priorities have always been a hallmark of our budgeting process.”
Expected revenue from sales and use taxes ($29,594,052) and property taxes ($20,916,979) make up the lion’s share of general fund revenues (78%), with the remaining 22% coming from a dozen other sources, including:
- Licenses and permits: $6,686,251
- Utility franchise fees: $2,869,126
- Charges for services: $1,391,500
- Grants: $1,149,424
Downes told the council that revenues for the 2024 general fund budget match the budget growth and that the financial plan has been designed so the city can react to the rising cost of goods and services due to inflation. Additionally, the budget addresses city employee salaries with the goal of retaining current staff and recruiting new talent.
Downes said the budget includes "three major category changes" to provide city employees with competitive wages. First, the budget ensures all eligible longevity pay and merit raises are adequately funded, while absorbing any increased costs in benefits.
Second, the budget includes a 4% cost-of-living adjustment to eligible employees to assist with the current state of the economy. Lastly, the budget moves certain classes of city employees — public safety personnel, department heads and their assistants — to a market-based salary model above the 4% level.
“The public safety pay plan was studied by the Personnel Board of Jefferson County along with other agencies,"
Downes said. “This budget reacts to the Personnel Board of Jefferson County's recommendation to us that a new salary schedule be provided and proposes the most employee-beneficial option to those recommendations.”
The 2024 budget also includes a comprehensive list of improvements to existing city amenities and new resources including, but not limited to, the following:
Police Department
- Purchase of four police cars to complete the city's one-to-one vehicle initiative
- Funding for four additional field training officers and master patrol officers
- Renovations to the Cahaba Heights substation
Fire Department
- Replacement of a rescue unit and two staff vehicles
- Roof replacements on two fire stations
- Capital investments to provide a training facility and an additional fire inspector
Public Works
- Replacement of obsolete heavy equipment
- Capital funding for street resurfacing, major road projects and drainage projects
- Funding to assist the Cahaba Heights Gateway improvements, proposed by the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association
Parks and Leisure Services
- Funding for additional maintenance equipment
- Additional funding associated with facility utility costs and programmatic activity
Public Library
- Technology upgrades and replacement of computer server components
- HVAC improvements
- Audio/visual technology improvements
- Converting a teen services clerk from part-time to full-time status
- Funding for library outreach programs in Liberty Park and Cahaba Heights
Municipal Complex
- Landscape improvements due to weather damage to plantings
- Expansion of window cleaning and pressure washing
The comprehensive 2024 budget can be found on the city’s website at vhal.org.
