By Jef Rietsma
Vicksburg’s Village Council was scheduled to hold a special meeting June 28 to consider approval of a 2021-22 budget with an unchanged tax rate of 15.163 mills, $15.163 per $1,000 taxable valuation.
Village Manager Jim Mallery provided a copy of the proposed budget to the South County News. He said the council has reviewed requests for funding the necessary projects, programs and operations for the 12-month period covering the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The proposed budget, Mallery said, supports the village’s 2015 master plan, its parks and recreation plan of 2014 and its downtown development plan adopted in 2014. It was prepared based on input from the seven-member council, Mallery himself, sub-units of government and citizen input through five public meetings held via Zoom. Mallery said more than 60 people participated.
Here’s a breakdown of the proposed 2021-22 fiscal year budget:
Mallery said the general fund is set for about $1.4 million in expenditures, while revenues are anticipated to be more than $1.6 million. He said the village’s general fund amount has increased by 35 percent since 2016.
Other proposed expenses include $249,850 for its Major Street Fund, $109,625 the for Local Street Fund, $832,900 for Department of Public Works, $116,000 to Downtown Development Authority, more than $1.1 million to Angel’s Crossing Golf Course, $3.6 million to its Sewer Fund and more than $1.5 million to its Water Fund. Several of those funds are supported from outside funding sources.
The average household will realize a slight increase in sewer and water rates. Mallery said the new rate will reflect a 3% increase for sewer services and 7% for water. On average, Mallery said, that amounts to an added $1.57 per month for sewer and $1.51 per month for water.
He said the village’s property tax revenue, $702,400 in the 2016-17 fiscal year, is projected this year at $1.1 million. The increase is due to the growth of the industrial park and residential properties – most along 22nd Avenue, Mallery said.
Mallery explained the budgeting process started in February and was subject to many levels of input.
“We do it differently than most … we work off a ‘needs, wants and wishes’ list, where department heads turn in their needs, wants and wishes, and we do that with public works, parks and recreation, and planning commission – which is also the Downtown Development Authority,” Mallery said. “We sent a survey to all the businesses in the DDA, held five neighborhood Zoom meetings, the Historical Society had input and some ideas we hadn’t thought of have been implemented from those neighborhood sessions.”
