Maryville council adopts 31.7M budget

With the beginning of the new fiscal year being October 1 for the City of Maryville, the city council met September 30 primarily to approve the $31,719,747 budget for 2019-20.

The meeting began with a public hearing with the budget as a topic with no citizens to be heard. The next business item was a proclamation to recognize Maryville Manufacturing Day on  October 4.

Then the budget ordinance was adopted. Within the budget of $31.7 million, several goals were addressed including: efficiently implement improvements to the South Main Corridor, ensure adequate public safety by providing a facility and equipment to meet community needs, strengthen the economy by promoting and elevating local tourism assets, redevelop the physical, economic and cultural viability of Downtown Maryville and enhance community livability and quality of life.

Some of the one-time capital improvements include the public safety facility construction, $3,277,959; engineering and design for South Main Street, $707,497; replacement of water treatment membranes, $1,810,025; sanitary sewer main replacements, expansion of RV amenities at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park, emergency 911 dispatching equipment, trail construction, asphalt mill and overlay street repair, wayfinding signage and permanent downtown traffic signals.

The new budget also spoke to employee issues such as a one percent cost-of-living adjustment for employees and an increase to the city’s Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System. No additional full-time employees are included in the FY’20 budget. Several reclassifications of positions are included in the Mozingo Lake Recreation Fund to account for shifting priorities and needs.

Upon the vote of approval, City Councilman Tye Parsons commended the city staff on the work they did ensuring the alignment of the budget initiatives to the city’s present comprehensive plan.

The final business item the council authorized was a contract with Retail Strategies, LLC, Birmingham, AL to provide consulting services for economic development assistance as it relates to retail. City Manager Greg McDanel said in the council packet, “The South Main Corridor Improvement Project and elevated downtown revitalization efforts provide an optimal time to invest in retail recruitment.”

The company is expected to provide a minimum of 30 targeted contacts with the three-year agreement. For the first year, $35,000 will be the payment with NCED contributing $5,000.  The city will then pay $40,000 for years two and three.