LOWELL -- Lowell officials said the city's 2016 budget will increase by $385,982 as sales tax continues to rise.
Finance Director Jerry Hudlow said the city is expected to spend $9,913,562 in 2016. It is projected to receive about $10,015,917 in revenue, he said.
City and county sales tax collected this year is expected to surpass projections by about $500,000, Hudlow said. He said this gives the city a little more room for 2016.
Sales-tax revenue was projected at $3.1 million this year, Hudlow said. The 2016 budget estimates the city will receive $3.3 million in sales-tax revenue, he said.
Hudlow said the city will provide ambulance service for the first time in 2016. This is an extra expense not found in previous budgets, he said.
Springdale has provided ambulance service to Lowell since 1968 but has decided to stop service outside its city limits at the end of the year. Springdale fire officials have said they decided to stop after increases in call volumes in recent years.
The Lowell Fire Department's human resources expenditures will increase from $887,331 this year to $1 million in 2016, according to the city documents. Supplies for EMS also will increase from $10,000 to $40,000, it states.
"Next year is more about the ambulance service than anything else," Hudlow said. "We wanted to get that under our belt and see where we are at."
Mayor Eldon Long said it is not cheap to add an ambulance service.
"Anything needed for medical care is going to be expensive," Long said.
There also is a shortage of paramedics in the region, Long said. This means cities have to be competitive with pay and benefits, he said.
"If you don't have a trained staff, you aren't going to get the best service," Long said.
The city spent $187,500 to buy a new ambulance as allocated in this year's budget. It also spent about $90,000 to equip the ambulance.
The city also will be giving several raises between 2 and 5 percent in 2016, Hudlow said. The raises will based on evaluations supervisors do with their staff members, he said.
Several staff positions also will be added, Hudlow said. This includes a police officer, two Fire Department officials, a Parks Department official and Planning Department employee.
The pay and staff increases will increase the budget about $225,000 in 2016, Hudlow said. This includes salaries and benefits.
Hudlow said the city also has several smaller projects it plans to cover this year, including adding sidewalks to some locations in the city and buying a lawn mower.
Metro on 11/20/2015