The takeaway from the city’s pre-budget presentation Monday is that despite pressure on city services from an increasing population, things are going fairly well for the City of Raleigh\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n
Residents will be happy to know that it\u2019s unlikely the new budget will require a property tax increase, and city employees won\u2019t have to fear layoffs. They could even see a re-established merit raise, which was cut two years ago.<\/p>\n
Since the start of the recession and the ongoing slow recovery, unemployment rates are creeping downward and building permits, property taxes and sales taxes have been creeping up.<\/p>\n
Compared to other North Carolina municipalities, Raleigh is doing OK. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement.<\/p>\n
The city hasn\u2019t been able to hire many additional staff since the economy crashed \u2014 even as the population has continued to increase, putting strain on city services. All departments have felt the pinch as workloads have increased but positions remain vacant, according to City Manager Russell Allen.<\/p>\n
Today, there are 274 vacant positions across city departments.<\/p>\n
Allen said the city has only added one additional police officer since 2009, despite the city\u2019s fast growth. In 2009, 15 firefighter positions were also added to go along with a new ladder company. Few firefighters have actually been hired.<\/p>\n
Also, deferred maintenance that the city has been putting off on vehicles and buildings is starting to come due.<\/p>\n
The city can only put off buying a new fire truck ($1.1 million) or garbage truck ($260,000) for so long.<\/p>\n
“We have expensive things that our folks need to do their jobs,” Allen said.<\/p>\n
There are also plenty of unknowns, which add pressure to the city spending. Expenses for Dix Park<\/a> are still included in the proposed budget, but those numbers could change depending on how state legislators react to a bill that would terminate the city\u2019s lease. (As of this posting, Senate Bill 334<\/a> passed the Senate and its companion House Bill 319<\/a> is in a House committee.)<\/p>\n House Bill 150<\/a>, which could have impacts on the Unified Development Ordinance<\/a>, might play a role, as well as a Senate bill dealing with privilege licenses.<\/p>\n The impact of federal sequestration may also trickle down to Raleigh\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n Councilor Russ Stephenson said Monday he doesn’t see anything in the pre-budget plan about how the city will meet its transit goals as outlined by the 2030 Comprehensive Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n