Rogers approves 2021 budget

ROGERS -- The city has adopted a budget for 2021.

The council on Tuesday voted unanimously with council member Jerry Carmichael absent to approve the budget, which projects about $66.4 million in revenue and about $66.1 million in expenses, leaving a surplus of more than $336,500.

The council spent a cumulative eight hours discussing the budget and hearing presentations from department heads during a meeting about three weeks ago.

Council members passed the budget despite disagreements over the amount of money allotted to public transportation.

The council voted during its earlier budget meeting to recommend that the budgeted amount for public transportation be cut to $380,000 instead of the proposed $462,398. However, the original amount was left in the budget presented to the council for final approval.

"My belief was at the end of the day the vote was to fully fund -- the intention was to fully fund -- the public transit section of the budget," Mayor Greg Hines said, noting the council further discussed public transportation later during the same meeting once John McCurdy, community development director, was available to talk with council.

Council members Mark Kruger and Betsy Reithemeyer said they disagreed. Kruger later said he didn't feel council members' recommendations were listened to at the budget meeting.

State law requires the mayor to present a balanced budget to the council by Dec. 1, which he did, and for the council to approve a budget by Feb. 1, said John Pesek, staff attorney. However, if the city does not have a budget in January, the city cannot expend money without ordinances or resolutions approved by the council.

"If we need to have a larger conversation about public transit and what the collective elected leadership of Rogers believes in public transit, I'm happy to have that conversation," Hines said. "What I'm not happy to do is to submit a budget that comes back with an arbitrary number that cuts $82,000 out of a program with absolutely no idea what program cuts that will amount to and who that's going to affect as real people in the community and then hold up a $66 million budget over that conversation."

The city allotted $467,000 for public transportation in 2020.

All city employees are to receive 2% raises as cost-of-living adjustments and may receive up to additional 1% raises based on performance. Hines has said the projected expenses and surplus are calculated as if all employees receive 3% raises.

The council also voted to enter into a $40,000 contract with Miami-based company Gridics for code compilation services. McCurdy explained the contract includes a software package that will allow the city to quickly update any development code changes. The software is intended to be more user-friendly so that developers or private residents can easily see what they are and are not allowed to do on their property, he said.