Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke presented a $230 million operating budget for fiscal 2017 to the City Council on Tuesday. The budget includes increased efforts to fight crime and a boost in funding for programs to support early childhood development. It would not require a tax increase.
Tuesday's budget proposal does not include the city's capital budget, which should be ready in a couple of weeks, city officials said. Early estimates are in the range of $80 million, down from last year's $96 million.
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More than half of the operating budget, some $115.5 million, is devoted to public safety, including $700,000 to establish a Real-Time Intelligence Center to provide information on crimes in progress or the latest intelligence on possible criminal activity to field officers and detectives. As one example, if a gang-related shooting occurs, the center would alert officers to be on the alert for possible retaliatory attacks. Several civilian technicians would take over more of the field work of collecting evidence to free up some officers to staff the intelligence center.
"We see far too many incidents where the only description we have of what is going on is that a dark SUV rolled by a particular residence," the mayor said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. "The more info we can get about who was on the streets in the minutes before and after an incident, the better off we are."
"We monitor social media heavily," Berke said, "but we need to integrate all of the pieces - where we hear shots fired, who is associating with whom - and put together all 0f the pieces that you can."
The budget would continue to fund 486 police officers, a record high for the city.
Additional funding would pay for body cameras for officers, more security cameras and computer software to analyze crime data.
The mayor is also proposing a minority intern program to improve diversity in the police department's hiring, as well as funds for programs to address domestic violence and community policing.
The next largest amount of money, some $42 million, would go to neighborhood development. East Lake Park would be refurbished, the city's recycling program would receive more money, and more sidewalks would be built, particularly near schools.
The city also wants to attack blight in neighborhoods by hiring an attorney to act as an administrative hearing officer to crack down on code violations. Now, violations are heard in environmental court, with a maximum fine of $50. Under the new plan, the administrative officer could issue fines of up to $500 per day, and unpaid fines could result in a lien on an owner's property.
The mayor is also proposing more funding to house and support the city's homeless population, particularly those who are veterans.
The budget for economic development is set at $23.7 million. That includes $3.6 million for road paving, double what the city was budgeting three years ago, according to the mayor's office.
More than $300,000 in tax rebates will be offered for businesses that locate in neglected commercial areas.
The budget also funds training and workforce development programs, improving access for the disabled to CARTA buses and vans, and additional city-sponsored summer jobs.
There is also $1 million for improvements and repairs to the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge.
About $24.6 million is allocated to the category of education and families. That includes $6 million for a new Avondale Youth and Family Development Center, increased funds for the Baby University in the East Lake neighborhood, and expansion of the program to Alton Park. The Baby University program provides coaching to parents-to-be, to support safe and healthy births.
The mayor also plans to establish a new Office of Early Learning in City Hall to coordinate the city's early learning efforts, including Baby University, training for daycare providers, and scholarships for early learning programs. The budget also includes money to expand the Chambliss Center for Children's early childhood education programs.
Some $24.3 million will fund government services.
The city plans to provide raises of 3 percent to city workers for those on the low end of the wage scale, and 2 percent for other workers. The mayor is also proposing longevity pay and other forms of payment such as on-call or call-back pay for city workers who sacrifice their personal time for work.
As part of the city's consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve the way storm water is handled, the sewer rate will rise by 9.8 percent, or $3.77 cents per month for the average customer.
Fifty percent of the budget goes for public safety, 18 percent for neighborhood improvements, 11 percent for education and families, 10 percent for economic development, and 10 percent for government. Public safety's share of the budget increased from 47 percent in fiscal 2016. All other areas of the budget saw their percentage decline or remain steady.
Revenue for the city is estimated at $230.3 million, according to the mayor's office, four and a half percent over the estimate for 2015, but only two percent above the actual revenue. Property taxes will make up 57 percent of the city's revenues, some $131 million, according to budget officials. Various sales taxes add another $60 million, or 26 percent, while other local taxes and investment earnings make up most of the remainder.
About $130 million of the city's budget in 2016 will go for salaries and benefits, up from $125 million in 2015. Purchased services increased from $31.4 million in fiscal 2016 to $34.4 million in 2017. Funding for community agencies rose from $19.6 million in 2016 to $20 million in 2016.
Vehicle operating costs declined from $13 million to $12 million, largely due to lower gas prices.
The council will begin working through the budget over the next month and is expected to vote on it in late June.
Contact staff writer Steve Johnson at sjohnson@timesfreepress.com, 423-757-6673, on Twitter @stevejohnsonTFP, and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/noogahealth.