LEGISLATIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:
PERSONNEL CHANGES:
There are thirty full-time positions in the Legislative and Administrative divisions. A step increase on January 1, 2024 has been included for full-time employees. A Deputy City Manager position was added to the City Manager’s staff and a Recruitment, Diversity and Inclusion position was added to Human Resources in FY 23. Twelve hundred hours were added for an additional Account Clerk position in the Revenue office. Estimates for retirement and health insurance have been budgeted to decrease, while worker’s compensation increases. Due to the Town’s decision to convert to a Medicare Advantage Plan for retirees, no contribution to the OPEB fund has been included for FY 24. Employee benefits include an allowance for tuition reimbursement, funded at $6,000 for FY 24. Raises for the board positions and for the Mayor and Council have been included in the FY 24 budget. An end-of-the-year employee appreciation event has been funded at $25,000.
CHANGES IN OPERATIONS:
Contracted Services include professional services such as legal fees and consultants, maintenance, travel and training, printing and dues. Legal expenses account for $520,000 of the Contracted Services line item in this division. Crown Castle legal fees are budgeted at $150,000. An allowance for other issues that may arise, such as windfarm and other personnel issues has been included at $115,000. Other expenses included in the Contracted Services line item are the annual Town audit, funded at $56,000 and banking services fees funded at $45,000. EMS billing fees have been included at $92,320 and are offset by projected revenue. Fees for the Acela agenda management system have been funded at $16,250. Strategic Planning has been added at a total cost of $36,500. Items funded in FY 23, but not funded in FY 24 include $14,000 for election expenses, and $25,000 for a Compensation Study for General employees. Travel and Training costs in this division increase overall. Training included in this division are the Government Finance Officer’s conference, the National Hurricane conference for three council members, the Mayor, and the City Manager, and professional development for the Human Resources staff. Under Supplies and Materials, postage has been included at $143,774, an increase of $13,290. Applicant tracking software has been included in the Human Resources budget at $12,704. The intragovernmental allocations for the Information Technology department and Vehicle lease increase, while the allocations for radio lease and insurance decrease.
SUMMARY COMMENTS:
These divisions are responsible for overall Town management, business functions, and record-keeping. The Mayor & Council, City Clerk, City Manager, Finance, Legal and Human Resources divisions are included in the summary. Administrative costs to manage the Town’s various enterprise funds are allocated to each fund. This reimbursement totals $2,141,166 for FY 2024.