Maplewood City Manager Michael D. Reese forwarded to 40 South a 2022-2023 budget memo that he sent to the Maplewood City Council on May 5. “It references how we’re investing in Maplewood residents, businesses, and planning for the future (including in public safety),” he said.
2022-2023 budget memo from Maplewood City Manager Michael D. Reese to the City Council:
TO: Mayor & City Council
CC: Department Heads
FROM: Michael D. Reese, City Manager
DATE: May 5, 2022
RE: 2022-2023 Consolidated Budget: Review of Strategic Budget Priorities and Fiscal Responsibility
We kicked off the 2022-2023 budget process with a town hall meeting on November 16, 2021 where we gathered input about the budget from the community. Then, we held a Strategic Budget Priority Work Session on February 1, 2022 where each Council Member and the City Manager shared two budget priorities. This prioritization process was very helpful and established a framework for city staff when devising the 2022-2023 budget.
Together, we have established a balanced budget and funded many strategic priorities so that we are investing in Maplewood residents, businesses and the future.
A summary of the 2022-2023 Strategic Budget Priorities are:
Outreach to the Community
Print the MapleLeaf four times with May and November being full versions and August and February a 1 page (two-sided) update
Affordable, Workforce and Senior Housing and Other Basic Human Needs
Hire a Social Services Coordinator in partnership with Richmond Heights to develop workforce housing and aging in place initiatives and work on other human service needs
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
– Join the Government Alliance on Race and Equity
– Promote and recognize Maplewood Black businesses in August
– Complete the Social and Racial Equity Project that includes: Leadership Team Alignment and Training, Equity Audit, A Racial Equity Policy, A 5-Year Racial Equity Plan
Workforce Development
Establish an online Community Job Board that will allow Maplewood businesses to post job openings (The Community Job Board will be hosted on the city’s website)
Responsive to Boards/Commissions
Continue to respond to priorities from our boards and commissions
– The Sustainability Commission recommended that we join the Green Cities/Business – Challenge and this budget does that
– The Parks and Recreation Commission recommended a Parks Master Plan and this budget does that
– Support the Human Services Commission as needs arise
Public Safety
– Fully funding the Assistant Fire Chief position
– Advance a Police Department Reorganization with more Community Resource Officers on foot and bike patrol
– Prioritize officer training
– Invest in Strategic Flock Cameras
Infrastructure and Pedestrian Safety
– Infrastructure and Pedestrian Safety ranked extremely high on everyone’s list for investment
– Manchester Road Overlay and Infrastructure Improvements – assists our businesses and aids pedestrians
– ADA Study and Recommended Enhancements – helps the disabled population
– Traffic Study and Implementation Project – benefits pedestrian and vehicle safety
– Street Reconstruction and Sidewalk Repair/Construction
– Greenwood Railroad Crossing Improvement, a project that will range over two years – allows for the continued quiet zone designation
Parks and Recreation in the Parks Budget
– Move forward with our Parks Master Plan to help us determine future parks and recreation needs
– Investment in the following parks: Deer Creek Park, Ryan Hummert Park, Kellogg Park, Central Park, Skate Park, Greenwood Park, and Yale Park
Improvements to Maplewood Public Library (Partnership and Fulfilling Our Commitment)
Proceed with the following capital improvements at the Maplewood Public Library to fulfill our commitment: tuckpointing, wall repair and window replacement (This is in addition to a new state-of-the-art roof that is being built now as part of our overall commitment)
While we are investing in many wonderful things in our community, we need to look to future budgets, be strategic and promote fiscal responsibility.
We expect to receive $816,424.42 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in the next couple of months. The 2022-2023 budget uses these funds to help balance our budget, just as we used the same amount of ARPA funds received last year to help balance our current fiscal year budget and rebuild during COVID.
While the ARPA money has helped us get through this difficult period, we need to plan for the 2023-2024 budget since we do not expect to receive any more federal resources.
We have purposely budgeted carefully with conservative revenue projections for the 2022-2023 FY. This budget sets forth a 2% raise for City of Maplewood employees. We believe this is sustainable and reflects a measured approach to rewarding employees. In short, what we do in the 2022-2023 budget will affect the 2023-2024 budget and so on.
It is critical that annual expenditures not exceed annual revenues. The City is unable to use reserve funds to balance our budget because it is not sustainable and we are currently on financial watch by our rating agency.
The Finance Director and I will plan for next year’s budget beginning almost immediately. We will look for ways to help manage through tighter budgets in the years ahead.
For example, in the present Fiscal Year and for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1 of 2022, we have several studies and planning efforts that have occurred or will be started soon. These studies and planning efforts are worthwhile investments for Maplewood residents and businesses. However, we will likely not do as many in subsequent budgets.
We will tighten our belts over the next fiscal year by looking for more economies of scale in all purchases citywide and becoming more strategic in planning supply orders and services to eliminate duplicative shipping costs and less redundancy overall.
We will explore partnerships with neighboring jurisdictions and pursue internal efficiencies over the long term to achieve cost savings where it makes sense while still providing a high level of city services. As an example, we’ve achieved good results with the PARC agreement with Richmond Heights, now in place for over 15 years. We’ve had a joint training officer in place for five years now, located in the Maplewood Fire Department and shared among Maplewood, Clayton, Brentwood and Richmond Heights. Both of these examples save taxpayer dollars and provide for a high level of service.
We will explore targeted fee increases in areas where the cost has not kept up with the service being provided.
We will continue to be aggressive when it comes to going after grant funding and I will ask Department Directors to make this a priority over the next year.
We will strive to maximize revenue growth within and outside of the Special Business District by bringing people to Maplewood with our year-round events and improving the infrastructure on Manchester Road so they can shop and engage in commerce.
Finally, we will be fair, yet firm, when it comes to collecting and enforcing outstanding business license fees and outstanding special business district fees.