Kuna planning to spend less next year

The city of Kuna is considering a budget that cuts about $137,000 from last year’s budgeted amount.
Before City Council members is a proposed 2011-12 budget that spends $2.607 million in the general fund, a roughly 5 percent cut from the 2010-11 budgeted amount of $2.744 million. Even with those cuts, the budget proposal shows expenditures outpacing revenues by yet another $35,000.
City Council members held a budget workshop Monday to go over general fund expenditures, solid waste fund expenditures, latecomers fund and the well mitigation fund. City treasurer John Marsh is presenting council with a number of assumptions that are subject to council discretion to change.
Here are hightlights:
• A proposed 5 percent increase in the police budget with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, to $1.315 million, accounting for over 91 percent of the city’s property tax revenue.
• Keeping property tax revenue flat at $1.45 million and forgoing an allowed 3 percent hike in property tax revenue.
• Maintaining a series of cuts due primarily to a precipitous drop in planning & zoning and building department revenues. The city has put two planning employees on half-time, laid off one building inspector and put another building inspector on part-time.
• Creating an employee merit pool of $15,293.80 in order to give good city employees bonuses to keep morale up and keep good workers.