CITY STAFF WORKS ON PRELIMINARY BUDGET

While most people are adding and subtracting figures on their income tax forms at this time of year, city officials are recalculating their figures too.

City staff members are developing a budget that has adequate income and equal expenses. Cape Girardeau operates on a $34 million budget.

It sounds like an enormous amount of money to manage, and it is, but city officials spend weeks pouring over figures, checking calculations and rethinking budget requests before putting together a final package.

Department heads from all divisions within the city staff have been meeting regularly in the past weeks to determine what exactly will be included in the city's budget for the 2000-2001 fiscal year.

Meetings will continue through mid-April when the budget must be completed in working form to submit to the City Council at its annual retreat.

The meetings, which are now rather jovial and friendly, will get more intense, more frequent and much longer before the process is complete, said City Manager Michael Miller.

Now the figures aren't concrete, so there will plenty of adding, subtracting and refiguring.

New sheets filled with tabulations, charts and figures are passed around the conference table during the meetings.

Everyone carries a three-ring binder thick with pages and color-coded tabs.

As the department heads from the fire chief to the city engineer talk about what is needed in their division, they must justify any $100 or more increase in their request.

"It makes everybody aware of everybody else's budget," Miller said.

Sometimes it helps them reconsider what is truly necessary or what could be funded in later budgets. A new fire truck might not be funded this year, but listing it makes other departments aware of a need.

Some line items are simply increases related to rising fuel or printing costs, but other proposed expenditures are equipment purchases or additional salary for new staff.

Some will make it into the final budget; other proposals will be cut along the way.

Building projects and remodeling at the fire station or airport might have to be done in stages so money is available for other projects.

"The next step is to add it up again," Miller said, but that might mean more cuts if the figures are too high. The staff cuts back "and then add what's essential."

Coming up with a workable city budget takes time, but the end product is something everyone can agree on.

"It can be very confusing but it's our attempt to live within our means," Miller said.

During the early stages, no departmental budget is discussed or cut back without hearing from the head of that department.

If the police chief or city attorney can't make a particular budget session, his budget isn't discussed until he returns.

When things get near the end, "there are no rules after that," Miller said.

What happens then is that few people miss the meetings. and sometimes the sessions carry over into lunch and even dinner.

But the staff has a deadline to meet so that the information is ready for the council.

Miller said his job is to prepare the budget, but talking with all the departments helps everyone understand the process and think critically. "Philosophically, what they come up with is what goes to the council," he said.