Columbia City Council meeting, Tuesday, June 24
July 6, 2014
By Temple Ligon
City council moves ahead with $35 million bond sale
On two different occasions, the Richland Library needed a public referendum to go ahead with construction. The first occasion was to build the library and its branches and the second was for the recent retrofit of the same collection of buildings for almost $60 million. Both times public approval was awarded.
Tuesday evening, June 24, Councilman Moe Baddourah, asked why a public referendum could not be the case with the Bull Street baseball stadium project, for which city council voted to sell special obligation bonds in one or more series in the principal amount not exceeding $35,000,000.
Mayor Steve Benjamin answered that the citizens of Columbia elected its city council to make such decisions for its citizens. And by this point, according to the city attorney, the city was on the hook to go ahead. Fine, said Baddourah, but some citizens may feel $35,000,000 is a little high to go through without the citizens’ voice.
Update on the homeless services’ request for proposals
Councilman Cameron Runyan noted that all reported in the update reflected none of the meetings he had attended on the matter. What appeared to be happening was very expensive, far more money than what had been previously discussed in meetings. According to the update, Runyan said, Columbia was getting stuck with meeting all of the funding requirements, letting all other local governments off the hook. Runyan said he was not supporting any new funding for homeless services.
Budget ordinances, second reading; selected items
General capital projects come to $5,568,483, and last year’s general fund available balance helps with $4,766,483, while the hospitality remaining tax contributes $802,000. The largest of the general fund capital projects is the replacement and enhancement of the Greenview pool, spending $2,041,483.
The water/sewer operating fund summary for the coming year allows for water sales of $82,508,290 and sewer sales of $43,385,205, together coming to total revenue and transfers in of $127,585,095. Out of that only $4,000,000 is identified as transfers out to the general fund.
The storm water budget comes to $7,589,000, out of which $2,808,234 is dedicated to capital projects, and another $4,780,766 goes for other expenditures, including $1,422,025 for utilities and engineering and $3,308,741 for public works.
The parking fund cites $2,150,000 from meters, $2,328,700 from garages, and $2,100,000 in non-moving violations, all which comes to the total parking fund budget of $6,925,300.
Hospitality tax revenues come to $10,081,994, and to that another $1,040,193 is added by the FM fund balance for a total of $11,122,187; and expenses include $2,370,000 for tax committee allocations, $2,049,200 for line item agencies, $2,569,143 for transfers out to the general fund, and debt service is $2,642,567. Council allocations come to $1,491,277. Total hospitality fund budget is $11,122,187.
Accommodations taxes come to $2,071,154, which pays for $1,943,846 in allocations and $5,000 in committee expenses. Also, there’s a general fund transfer out of $25,000.
