Budget calls for 4.2 percent increase

The new proposed city budget calls for restraint from the Bloomington's multiple departments. The total budget is $49.9 million dollars, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year. This is about 1.5 times the inflation rate, but the 2005 budget was almost exactly the same as the 2004 budget with no increase for inflation.\n"We are being very conservative," said Susie Johnson, director of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development, about her department's budget. "It is replacing some of the funds we lost last year."\nThe budget is designed by the departments and the mayor's office and must be approved by the city council. The city council has been conducting hearings all week going through each department's proposed budget. The last hearing is tonight at 6 p.m. in the City Council chamber. The final vote on the budget will be held in September.\nThe three goals of the budget, according to Mayor Kruzan's budget notes, are "improving the human condition, preserving and enhancing community character, and promoting economic vitality."\nPart of this plan is to add two police officers each year for the next five years. Bloomington ranks lowest among similarly sized Indiana cities in police officers per capita, according to an analysis by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.\nThe plan gives $525,000 for a new joint police firing range and fire training facility. Also the police department will add two new motorcycle patrols. They will be concentrated downtown for bicycle and motor vehicle law enforcement.\nJust like the rest of America, the city cannot escape the rising cost of gas and health care. Gas expenditures are expected to go up 22 percent and health insurance premiums 34 percent.\nLast year, the city enacted a salary freeze on non-union workers and firefighters because of the budget crisis, but they are getting some relief this year. All non-union workers are receiving a 3.5 percent increase in salary, and all union workers like fire fighters and police officers are receiving their contractual pay increases.\nThree departments lost money in this budget. The public works department lost $430,000, but director of public works Julio Alonso attributed this more to cost shifting than actual budget cuts.\n"It is not nearly as bad as the bottom line makes it look," he said. "We get to move ahead on projects. It is a much better situation than last year."\nHousing and Neighborhood Development lost $285,000, but actually got more money from the city while losing federal funds because of cuts by President Bush, Johnson said.\nThe mayor's office cut $14,000 when they got rid of one full-time position and replaced it with 1.75 part time positions.\nWhen deciding where the tax dollars go the departments thought process start with "what is best going to serve the community and how best to use the tax dollars from there," Johnson said.