MINUTES 
                                                COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA    
                                            SPECIAL CALLED MEETING   
                                                      APRIL 29, 2011        
      The regular weekly meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia was called    
 to order at 9:00 A.M., Tuesday, April 29, 2011, on the Plaza Level of the    
 Government Center, Columbus, Georgia. Honorable Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor,    
 presiding.       
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 PRESENT: Present other than Mayor Tomlinson were Councilors R. Gary Allen, Mike    
 Baker, Jerry Barnes, Glenn Davis, Berry H. Henderson, Bruce Huff, Charles E.    
 McDaniel, Jr., and Judy Thomas, City Manager Isaiah Hugley, City Attorney    
 Clifton Fay, Clerk of Council Tiny B. Washington and Deputy Clerk of Council    
 Sandra Davis were also present.   
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 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by Mayor Tomlinson.   
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 ABSENT: Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh and Councilor Evelyn Woodson was absent from    
 this meeting.    
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      City Attorney Fay said other than the Mayor presenting her budget; he has    
 one item that needs to have Council action taken. He pointed out that we    
 discussed this issue earlier in an executive session. He pointed out that the    
 developer will put in an additional retaining wall that will stabilize the wall    
 that was previously built. He also pointed out that he has signed an    
 encroachment agreement. He said he has a resolution for the Council?s approval.        
      Councilor Davis then moved approval of the resolution. Seconded by    
 Councilor Huff and carried unanimously by those eight members of Council    
 present for this meeting, with Mayor Pro Tem Turner Pugh and Councilor Woodson    
 being absent.              
      THE ABOVE ACTION APPROVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION AS LISTED    
 BELOW:_____________________________________________________   
      A Resolution (169-11) ? Authorizing the City Manager, City Attorney and    
 Clerk of Council to execute an appropriate encroachment agreement or    
 appropriate amendments to the same, said agreement to be signed by developer    
 David B. Erickson and Grayhawk Homes, Inc., acknowledging said encroachment and    
 accepting responsibility and liability therefore.              
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      PRESENTATION OF THE MAYOR?S BUDGET:       
      Mayor Teresa Tomlinson the presented her 2012 proposed budget for the    
 Columbus Consolidated Government as outlined below.        
 The Mayor's recommended FY 2012 Budget is reduced by 8.66%, or $24,284,980    
 million: down from $280,084,085 in FY 2011 to $255,835,105 in FY 2012. This    
 reduction is due largely, but not entirely, to the 2009 Other Local Option    
 Sales Tax rollback requirement which inflated the budget in FY 2011. This year    
 we face several budget challenges. We are predicting a 2% decrease in our tax    
 digest. We expect our sales tax collections to remain flat; and, we anticipate    
 the State of Georgia, given its historic budget deficit, may push costs to our    
 municipality that it has traditionally carried. We recognize our revenue    
 predictions are conservative, but note that last year's predictions were    
 conservative as well and we overshot our estimate by .5%. We understand that    
 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) growth is coming; however, it has been    
 gradually coming our way for some time, and we have not yet seen the economic    
 effect that we believe will impact our community. Accordingly, this recommended    
 FY 2012 Budget adopts the conservative revenue predictions of our Finance    
 Director. Should better than expected economic trends and revenue come about,    
 we can make mid-year adjustments to our FY 2012 based on fact and not    
 expectation.    
 This FY 2012 Budget reflects a reasonable and measured function of government.    
 No longer can we subsidize with taxpayer dollars those Funds, affiliates or    
 entities that do not have a plan of sustainability. As I have said many times:    
 "Taxpayer dollars should not be just spent, they should be invested with a    
 clear return". Here we begin the long process of culling through our city's    
 budget to find those items where we can do better those areas where we can    
 reach a higher efficiency or maximize our assets through productive, mutually    
 beneficial partnerships.        
 This Budget also reflects a listing of priorities. A government is as good as    
 its foundation, and the Columbus Consolidated Government (CCG) is strong. To    
 maintain and build upon that foundation, we must preserve an operating reserve    
 that allows us to provide services to our citizens, while remaining confident    
 that we have the resources to do the job regardless of unexpected Federal or    
 State mandates or other unforeseen, and therefore unbudgeted, costs. We must    
 preserve our favorable bond rating, which encourages investment and provides    
 lower interest rates on bonds that will finance our future civic improvement.    
 We also must preserve the CCG retirement benefit in a way that is sustainable    
 and honors the trust our faithful employees have bestowed on us. And, while    
 making tough operational cuts, we must remember that our city employees are a    
 great asset to us and essential to our daily municipal functioning.        
 They must be given some sign of our acknowledgment and appreciation.    
 There are sacrifices requested herein, no doubt; but those sacrifices are an    
 economically necessary step toward a leaner, better, stronger city government.    
 Each sacrifice or challenge noted is met with a proposed solution for    
 improvement. We are a community which has always met our challenges and    
 maximized our opportunities. This Budget will strengthen our foundation and    
 prepare us for the growth and opportunity to come.        
 General Fund Reserve    
 The city's FY 2011 Budget anticipated that we would expend 14.17 days of our 90    
 day General Fund Reserve, bringing the Reserve down to 76.50 days. We are    
 expected, thankfully, to end the 2011 Fiscal Year with 81.57 days left in our    
 General Fund Reserve. The Government Finance Officers Association recommends a    
 minimum 60 day operating reserve. One of the factors used by bond rating    
 agencies to determine a municipality's bond rating is the ability to maintain,    
 at a minimum, a 60 day reserve. Currently, the Columbus Consolidated Government    
 (CCG) has an AA+ bond rating from Standard & Poor's and an AA2 bond rating from    
 Moody's. Our CCG bond ratings are impressive in this difficult economic time    
 wherein municipalities and states across the country find themselves living off    
 their reserves, unable to provide essential services to their citizens and    
 having had their bond ratings correspondingly downgraded. Columbus' favorable    
 bond rating makes it a bright spot for potential investment, and we must guard    
 that valuable asset.        
 This Budget sets as a priority maintaining our strong bond rating because we    
 expect in the near future to issue bonds for our new jail and for road    
 improvement projects, such as the Forrest Road improvement. Our bond rating    
 will affect the rate at which we will borrow money and the amount of our future    
 interest payments on any bonds issued. It also will affect the marketability of    
 any bond issue.    
 This Budget also sets as a priority a Reserve amount in excess of the    
 recommended 60 day minimum. This Budget preserves a 70.02 days General Fund    
 Reserve, which should allow us to maintain our bond rating and further allow us    
 to fund any unexpected costs during FY 2012.1 Each Reserve day is valued at    
 approximately $420,000.     
 Of the 11.55 days of General Fund Reserve consumed in this FY 2012 Budget, 7.87    
 days were previously committed in prior years and 3.61 days of reserve funds    
 were needed after extensive cuts and reductions to balance this Budget.        
 Pension Fund Considerations    
 One of the most significant hurdles in compiling this Budget is the demand of    
 our increasing employee costs through Pension Fund obligations. This year a $    
 27.8 million payment is required to assure the integrity of the city's    
 commitment to our employees' Defined Benefit Pension Plan. Our commitment to    
 this Defined Benefit Plan as it is currently structured may prove to be    
 unsustainable over the long term, as it may unduly drain the city's resources    
 given projected revenue. A long term, sustainable solution must be found -and    
 soon. As a member of the Pension Board, I have requested that the Board, which    
 includes employee representatives and city administrative staff, begin    
 analyzing options (including maintaining our current Plan) so that we may    
 provide a sustainable retirement benefit to our dedicated employees who have    
 served this city through the years. I also have consulted with our City    
 Attorney to ensure this analysis takes place according to the laws and    
 directives which govern our Pension Plan. That process has begun, and upon its    
 completion a report will be made to City Council regarding this complex issue    
 for Council's consideration, action and resolution.        
 In the meantime, I, as Mayor, face the competing obligations of our pension    
 responsibilities and our FY 2012 balanced budget. In order to balance these    
 obligations, I have recommended a reassessment of our Pension Fund commitment    
 from a "7-year to fully fund" period to a "15year fully fund period".3 this has    
 the mathematical effect offering up some $1,580,302    
 I million of FY 2012 pension obligation for the purpose of balancing the    
 General Fund budget without using the 3.77 days of reserve that would be    
 necessary to fund that amount otherwise.4    
 No one should believe that this somehow lessens our pension burden. And, no one    
 should believe that this somehow endangers our commitment to our Pension Fund.    
 It is the equivalent of refinancing a 15-year mortgage to a 30-year mortgage.    
 The monthly mortgage payment may be reduced, but the overall financial    
 obligation is unchanged. It is my hope that this is a one year mathematical    
 adjustment and that by next year Fiscal Year 2013 -we may either go back to a    
 "7-year to fully fund" period or have Council approve a responsible and    
 sustainable retirement benefit plan. Unfortunately, given the complexity of    
 dealing with pension issues, these potential solutions could not be conceived,    
 vetted and adopted prior to the approval of a FY 2012 Budget.        
 Operational Costs and Challenges    
 In order to balance the Budget, we have asked all Department Heads to reduce    
 their General Fund departmental budgets by 2%. Given that operational costs for    
 General Government departments have remained flat or reduced since 2007, this    
 FY 2012 reduction largely "eats into the bone" of those departments. The total    
 savings in departmental reductions is $2,773,679 (or 6.61 Reserve Fund days).        
 These dramatic operational cuts cause several postponed and hidden costs to the    
 city and ultimately to the taxpayer. I will summarize a few:        
 Our vehicle and heavy equipment inventory is alarmingly aged. Many vehicles are    
 19951999 vintage and have over 150,000 miles on them. Because of prior budget    
 restrictions and the absence of a methodical plan to replace vehicles due to    
 those restrictions, the majority of our fleet incurs expensive repair costs and    
 downtime. It is possible to reach a point where we have a number of vehicles    
 breakdown or "flat line" in a few months' time causing the city to exceed its    
 contingency fund and requiring it to dip into reserve funds to continue the    
 day-to-day function of the city government.        
 We denied all requests for reclassifications and new positions from the General    
 Fund.   
 While this prevents increased personnel costs, it results in long-term pay    
 compression for senior employees and a loss of expertise as talented and    
 experienced individuals seek employment elsewhere or decline to enter public    
 service. Failure to adjust our General Government employee pay scale also makes    
 Columbus less competitive in the job market, a reality we have experienced    
 recently when trying to fill open departmental level or management positions.    
 Failure to address justified requests for reclassifications and new positions    
 could result in morale issues for existing personnel, which have an effect on    
 the delivery of services to citizens and a hidden cost in less productive or    
 less invested employees.        
 We must pursue the 2% departmental budget reductions intelligently. Therefore,    
 I am directing that the reductions be achieved through efficiency improvements,    
 waste reductions, and/or a "return on investment" evaluations of current and    
 future expenditures.        
 It is my hope that our revenue projections are bettered by our actual revenue    
 collected in the first half of FY 2012. If so, we will make mid-year    
 adjustments as needed through our mid-year adjustment process.        
 Modest Cost of Living Adjustment for All Employees    
 General Government employees (including administrative support for Public    
 Safety) have not had a cost of living raise since September of 2008. This    
 fiscal year we are looking at inflationary trends spurred by increasing fuel    
 costs. Due to our decreasing revenues, a substantial raise is not prudent or    
 advisable. However, a modest cost of living increase across all operating funds    
 of .5% for General Government employees (at a cost of$253,706.27) and a .25%    
 increase for sworn Public Safety officers (at a cost of$151,651.47, which is    
 paid out of other LOST funds)6 are included in this budget. This results in a    
 General Fund obligation of $281 ,526 or 0.67 Reserve Fund days. While largely    
 symbolic, this modest cost of living adjustment is intended to show all our    
 employees that they are valued, and that I am committed to assessing employee    
 pay on an annual basis so that our salaries may keep pace with the market and    
 inflation.        
 Historically Subsidized Funds, AffiUates and Entities    
 Cuts were made to several Funds, affiliates and entities historically    
 subsidized by the CCG General Fund. The decline in revenue and other demand for    
 city resources makes these continued subsidies imprudent despite the    
 unquestioned value of the Fund, affiliate or entity.        
 ? Integrated Waste Fund -For years Columbus has struggled without decision or    
 direction with the controversial issue of its Integrated Waste Fund and its    
 structural deficit. Over the past two years the General Fund has subsidized the    
 day-to-day functioning costs of our Integrated Waste Fund some $379,852. The    
 capital cost of our waste collection service in Columbus is largely due to    
 costly equipment, such as garbage trucks. The Fund is not self-sustaining    
 because the garbage fees collected do not cover the expenses of the service    
 provided to our citizens, even given our use of prison labor. The FY 2012    
 Budget would have demanded a subsidy of$187,036, without consideration of costs    
 for new garbage trucks (which are desperately needed) or the costs of dealing    
 with our landfill issues. This is not sustainable. The FY 2012 Budget,    
 therefore, deletes this subsidy and requires the community to go to one day a    
 week trash pick-up so that we can live by our Integrated Waste Fund means.    
 Reducing our garbage pick-up to one day a week is expected to save    
 approximately $331,000. Any excess reserves for the Integrated Waste Fund over    
 operating costs will be placed in a contingency fund for the likely need to    
 purchase garbage trucks in FY 2012 (we are told we currently need eighteen), or    
 to allocate additional funds to the costs of closure and post-closure of our    
 land-fills. Regardless, of this reduction of service and the associated cost    
 savings, it is possible that without an increase in monthly Garbage Fees) the    
 city will have to issue a bond to provide funding for landfill closure and    
 post-closure.        
 Civic Center Fund -The Civic Center Fund is expected to have a $150,000    
 operating deficit in FY 2011. (This does not include its $677,062 loan balance    
 with CCG). In order to balance its budget for FY 2012, the Civic Center would    
 require a subsidy of $291,491. In a recent review of Civic Center contracts and    
 dealings, it was determined that the proposed FY 2012 subsidy could be    
 eliminated through tighter controls. Accordingly, the subsidy is not budgeted    
 for FY 2012 because it is not expected to be needed barring an unforeseen    
 occurrence.        
 Civil War Naval Museum In 1994, some of the assets of what is now the Civil War    
 Naval Museum came under the domain of the City's Parks and Recreation    
 Department. As part of the private fundraising effort known as the "Columbus    
 Challenge" (along with public funding from Master Tourism in the amount    
 of$579,607), funds were raised to build the current home of the Museum. In    
 1999, as part of a public/private partnership, the city agreed to subsidize the    
 early operating costs of the Museum with the previous allocation of the Parks    
 and Recreation budget of $78,840. This commitment was intended to be    
 year-to-year and temporary until such time as the Museum could become    
 self-sustaining. It is expressly stated in the parties' Memorandum of    
 Understanding that the arrangement is "subject to funds availability". The    
 annual subsidy was increased in FY 2004 to $103,840 during the budget process.    
 In 2008, City Council was apprised of the Museum's non-payment of the balance    
 owed to the City, which balance currently stands at $248,384. A decision was    
 made at that time to carry a significant portion of the Museum's operation    
 costs through the General Fund by increasing the annual subsidy to $300,000    
 until the Museum was self-sustaining. In FY 2011 this subsidy continued at    
 $300,000. There is no question of the value of the Civil War Naval Museum to    
 this community. And, there is no question that the city wishes to continue its    
 partnership and support of educational and preservation entities such as the    
 Civil War Naval Museum; yet, the Museum must develop a business plan to be    
 self-sustaining. For over a decade, our city subsidies have failed to produce a    
 workable model for the Museum. Certain personnel costs such as the Museum's own    
 in-house accounting, maintenance, and advertising could perhaps be handled more    
 economically by existing city services (such as our Finance and Maintenance    
 Departments) or other city affiliates (such as the Columbus Convention and    
 Visitors Bureau). Savings may be achieved through a better coordination of    
 these personnel to avoid duplication. Additionally, the Museum could consider    
 adjusting its days of operation to correspond to those days of the week when    
 the most visitors frequent the Museum, and perhaps save costs. Realizing the    
 dramatic impact of completely eliminating a sizeable, long-term subsidy, I    
 recommend that we return the subsidy to its original level of$78,000 for FY    
 2012 as we work with the Museum to assist in its development of a    
 self-sustaining business model, free of future subsidy. As Mayor, I am    
 committed to working with the Civil War Naval Museum to assure its continued    
 viability and have already met with its Director and Board to discuss    
 potential plans for moving forward.        
 Public Golf Course Fund -Few would debate the need for and value of public golf    
 courses in a community the size of Columbus, Georgia. They are essential for    
 economic development, tourism, and youth and adult recreation, among other    
 factors. We have two public golf courses in our community: Bull Creek, a    
 thirty-six hole course and Oxbow Meadows, a nine-hole course. Over the years    
 the courses have operated at a structural deficit without a prospective    
 business plan. In the past 6 years, the General Fund of the CCG has subsidized    
 the running of our public golf courses in the amount of $1,205,375. In addition    
 to this subsidy, the balance owed from the golf courses to the General Fund as    
 of June 30, 2010, was $3,113,007. In FY 2011 that subsidy was $893,917. In FY    
 2012, the subsidy is expected to be $619,104. I believe our public golf courses    
 are of a quality that they can at least break even. We can no longer afford to    
 subsidize these important community assets in our prior fashion, so I am    
 recommending the elimination of all such subsidies and collaborating with the    
 Golf Authority and a team of experienced community volunteers to develop a    
 sustainable business plan and successful fundraising effort so that our public    
 golf courses are productive, self-sustaining assets. There is need for capital    
 improvements at these courses (Le., another 9 holes at Oxbow Meadows and a new    
 Club House at Bull Creek). These improvements will likely have to be made    
 through private contributions, grants or through a future bond issue by the    
 city. Understandably, those potential lines of revenue are enhanced if the    
 operations of the golf courses are self-sustaining. As Mayor, I am committed to    
 assisting our public golf courses to become independently sustainable assets of    
 the city and have already met with the Public Golf Course Director and the Golf    
 Authority to that end.        
 Affiliates and Entities -For years the city has had a relationship with the    
 quasigovernmental organizations of Keep Columbus Beautiful, Uptown, Inc.,    
 Cooperative Extension and the entity of Literacy Alliance, Inc. Due to our    
 current revenue restrictions, our subsidies to these entities are being reduced    
 by 10% from their FY 2011 level.        
 Keep Columbus Beautiful (KCB) can demonstrate a successful business plan and    
 broad engagement of citizen volunteers and contributors that provide a $7    
 return on every taxpayer dollar invested. KCB leverages other financial    
 community resources from the private sector to capitalize on the city's partial    
 subsidy. Though City Council increased its subsidy in FY 2011 to $80,784, KCB    
 had previously been on a course of reducing its dependency on the city -down    
 from $81,215 in FY 2005 to $65,784 in FY 2010. This FY 2012 Budget begins the    
 process of returning KCB to its prior FY 2011 level by reducing its subsidy 10%    
 to $72,706.        
 Uptown, Inc. likewise has a proven business plan with demonstrable results. As    
 its success has grown, Uptown has gradually reduced its dependency on the city.    
 Its FY 2005 subsidy was $100,000. Its FY 2012 subsidy will be $72,900 after a    
 10% reduction. Uptown can show that its use of city subsidy has been leveraged    
 to generate $200 million in capital investment over the last 15 years, to    
 create 10 new businesses and 50 new jobs in 2010, to improve the Uptown    
 residential occupancy rate and to increase the number of visitors to the city's    
 now thriving business and entertainment district. By broadening its private    
 sector support and demonstrably enhancing the city's economic development    
 strategy, the partial subsidy of Uptown's operations has a proven return on    
 taxpayer investment.        
 University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension is an educational arm of UGA.    
 Since 1997, CCG has had a contractual partnership with the state in which all    
 Extension employees are state employees and the city provides partial funding    
 of the employees, office space, and supplies. The city's contribution to this    
 partnership constitutes about 16% of its overall budget of$791,409. The    
 programs offered by Extension include Agriculture and Natural Resources,    
 Expanded Food and Nutrition, 4-H Youth, Home Economics and Resource    
 Development. Given our long-standing contractual relationship with the state    
 related to the Extension, the partnership obligations spelled out therein, and    
 our comparatively small contribution to the overall value provided to the    
 citizens, it would be ill-advised to eliminate this subsidy without further,    
 extensive inquiry.    
 We, however, recommend a 10% reduction in our city subsidy to $126,298. We can    
 revisit this subsidy in the FY 2013 Budget.        
 It is difficult to quantify the economic return generated by our partnership    
 with Literacy Alliance, though there is no doubt that a literate populace is of    
 great value to any community. It is a small volunteer literacy program the    
 value of which is unquestioned, but nebulous. However, the Literacy Alliance    
 has decreased its reliance on city subsidy down from $20,000 in FY 2005 to    
 $14,580 in FY 2012 after our 10% cut. Given the relatively small amount of its    
 subsidy, its leverage of other grants and donations, and its decreasing    
 reliance on the city, I recommend we continue this subsidy in FY 2012 and    
 reassess it in FY 2013.        
 User Fees    
 In order to attempt to recoup the administrative and other costs related to the    
 provision of particular city services we have proposed the creation of, or    
 increase in, User Fees to help cover those costs. The thought behind    
 implementing or adjusting existing User Fees is to place the cost more directly    
 on those availing themselves of the municipal service being provided. The User    
 Fees recommended in this Budget are not comprehensive across all departments    
 and programs. It is a start. We will continue to review other departments and    
 programs for possible additional User Fee recommendations in FY 2013.        
 These recommended User Fees are expected to bring $304,916 in additional    
 revenue to the city to help offset the costs directly related to the services    
 provided to users. The User Fees created or adjusted in this FY 2012 Budget are    
 as follows:    
 Department 	Fee Description 	Additional Revenue Produced    
 Inspections/Codes 	Building Permits -Increase minimum fee from $50 to $75 and    
 increase $3 per $1,000 value to $4 per $1,000 value 	$100,000    
 Planning 	Special Exception Use Request -Increase from $250 to $500 	$2,000    
 Planning 	BHAR -Demolition Permits submission fee will be $50 	$500    
 Planning 	BHAR -Board Review Application fee will be $25 	$200    
 Planning 	BHAR -Staff Approval Request fee will be $10 	$100    
 Parks and Recreation 	Facilities Rentals -Increase rental rates for residents    
 and non-residents 	$63,000    
 Parks and Recreation 	After School Programs Increase fee schedule by $1 	$48,000    
 Parks and Recreation 	Athletics -$100 fee per team, applicable to all teams,    
 including baseball, football, soccer, and adult basketball 	$42,800    
 Parks and Recreation 	Tennis -10% increase for residents and 50% increase for    
 non-residents 	$35,800    
 Parks and Recreation 	Pottery -Fees for classes and supplies 	$10,000    
 Parks and Recreation 	Basketball -Youth Teams increase of $5 per resident and $7    
 per non-resident 	$1,316    
 Parks and Recreation 	Therapeutics -Fees for transportation of participants 	   
 $1,200        
 While these User Fees will allow us the resources to improve the service    
 delivery our citizens demand, this was a particularly difficult decision to    
 make in light of our efforts to encourage development in underutilized areas    
 and to encourage kids of all ages to take part in constructive, confidence    
 building activities through our Parks & Recreation Department. We believe that    
 the Mayor?s Real Estate Investment Initiative Commission will bring forth    
 suggested incentives for real estate development investments in underutilized    
 areas; and these recommended inspection and planning fee adjustments will be    
 comparatively nominal reimbursed for administrative costs incurred by the city    
 in supp9rt of all growth and development.    
 In order to ensure that every resident child who would like to participate in a    
 Parks & Recreation supported team has that opportunity, regardless of family    
 financial strains, I will ask our new Parks & Recreation Department to review    
 private charitable partnerships, and perhaps a program worthy of an Office of    
 Crime Prevention grant, to ensure every resident child who wishes to play city    
 sports has that opportunity.   
 Other LOST Funds:    
      In 2008, the citizens of Columbus, Georgia approved a one penny sales tax    
 for the purposes of funding Public Safety (70%) and Infrastructure (30%) needs.    
 In FY 2010 and FY 2011, many expenditures of the Other LOST funds were    
 recurring costs, such as employee costs. This means that a sizeable portion of    
 the $30.6 million FY 2012 Other LOST funds for Public Safety is committed to    
 cover those previously incurred and now recurring costs. We expect to collect    
 approximately $4 million in Other LOST revenues for FY 2012 over and above that    
 amount needed to meet our prior commitments. We also expect $1.17 million of    
 the Other LOST revenues for Public Safety collected in FY 2011 (largely from    
 unused funds from our new Office of Crime Prevention) to revert to the Other    
 LOST fund leaving this FY 2012 budget with $ 5.17 million for Public Safety    
 which has not been previously committed.8 However, we received $18,457,999 in    
 new Public Safety expenditure requests to be paid for out of this $5.17 million    
 pot. Accordingly, I recommend an allocation among those Departments based in    
 part on the number of sworn officers in the respective departments and in other    
 part on their request for funds, the particular needs of each department and    
 their past allocations:        
 Public Safety Department    No. of Sworn Officers   FY 2012 Allocation     
 Columbus Police Department            488                          $1,859,164    
 Columbus Fire and EMS                    1370                              
 $809,612    
 Muscogee Co. Prison                          110                                
 $53,296    
 Homeland Security                                 2                                
 $59,500    
 Muscogee Co. Marshal's Office           19                           $286,079    
 Muscogee Co. Sheriffs Department   312                        $1,885,318    
 Recorder's Court                                  N/A                              
 $88,700    
 State Solicitor's Office                        N/A                           
 $120,152    
 Clerk of Municipal Court                    N/A                                
 $3,642    
 Muscogee County Coroner                    3                                  
 $3,950        
 The 30% of the Other Lost funds, or $9.98 million, allocated for Infrastructure    
 is to be expended on Riverwalk repair, information technology, facility    
 improvements, storm water and sewer rehabilitation, and road resurfacing and    
 improvements.        
 Concluding Remarks:        
 This Budget has been prepared to address our revenue limitations in an extended    
 sluggish economic recovery. It has also identified and addressed difficult    
 systemic issues related to our Defined Benefits Plan, our challenges related to    
 General Government operational costs, and our history of subsidizing Funds,    
 affiliates and entities. It was not an easy Budget to compile, but it is    
 prudent and responsible and balanced, with as little effect (3.61 days) on the    
 General Reserve Fund as we could achieve.        
      After the conclusion of presenting her budget, the Mayor then thanked City    
 Manager Isaiah Hugley, Finance Director Pam Hodge, our Department Heads and    
 their staff for their extraordinary assistance in this effort.        
     To our City Council, I respectfully submit this Budget for your review,    
 consideration and approval. I thank: you in advance for the hard work that will    
 be necessary to complete this budget process. Many of the decisions made herein    
 are difficult decisions, but I trust you will find them reasonable and    
 necessary under the totality of the circumstances presented.        
      City Manager Hugley pointed out that a copy of the budget is on file in    
 the Clerk of Council?s office, as well as the Finance Department and is on the    
 website as well.    
      A motion to adjourn this meeting was made by Councilor Henderson. Seconded    
 by Councilor Baker and carried unanimously by those eight members present at    
 9:55 a.m.        
 Tiny B. Washington, CMC   
 Clerk of Council                                            
        
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