The Greenbelt City Council made relatively quick work of its June 5 agenda, passing the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, receiving several petitions and seeing another officer join the city police force. The councilmembers also approved the 2018 Program Open Space program and agreed to loan the Old Greenbelt Theatre $10,000. Mayor Emmett Jordan returned after three weeks away while Councilmember Edward Putens was out of town on business.
Budget
On a series of unanimous votes, council approved the changes to the city manager’s proposed budget and enacted an ordinance appropriating those funds. A memorandum detailing the changes showed 24 changes in expenditures, 16 of which were distributing the pay adjustments originally shown as a lump sum in the non-departmental budget to the departments. There was one change in revenues as a result of a change to how false alarm fees are assessed that is estimated to reduce revenues by $10,000.
The net effect of these changes was to decrease budgeted expenditures by $10,000 out of a total of $28.4 million.
On the expenditure side, the changes included an additional $900 to the Public Safety Advisory Committee and $1,500 for the Citizens Animal Response Team, adding a shuttle for the Labor Day Festival ($1,200), $3,600 to pay the director of the Greenbelt Concert Band as a city contractor, an increase of $5,600 in contributions to public service and community groups, $1,800 for an interpretive sign and $4,500 as an initial payment on the past due electric bill for the Old Greenbelt Theatre. To compensate for these increases without increasing taxes, council reduced a reserve appropriation from $60,000 to $30,900. These changes were reported in more detail in the May 25 issue of this newspaper.
Read more of this story in the June 8 News Review