Why Will Johnston Residents' Wallets Be $69 Lighter Next Year?

The average Johnston homeowner can expect to pay an additional $69 in city taxes for the 2013 fiscal year.

The Johnston City Council approved a first reading of the fiscal 2013 budget, establishing a tax rate of $11.29 per $1,000 in assessed valuation.

The average home in Johnston is valued at $200,000.

At Monday's council meeting, no residents spoke during a public hearing on the budget.

The council worked since October to make .

While there were several reductions, the council decided to approve the following items:

• funding the hiring of three fire fighters for the second fire station, set to open in December or January 2013. The city of Grimes has dedicated to paying for half the staffing costs. - $145,097
• funding to hire an additional police officer - $96,295
• funding a duty officer to cover holiday and vacations at the fire station - $4,876
• funding radio tower upgrades for mobile radios - $9,936

Initially, staff created a budget with an $11.58 tax rate. During the process the council reduced or made the following eliminations:

•     Send only one full-time fire department employee to paramedic school, a savings of $8,000.
•     Reduce travel to conferences by the mayor and council, a savings of $2,000.
•     No longer participate in Sister Cities program, cost of $250.
•     Reduce office supplies for mayor and council, a savings of $1,000
•     Reduce advertising and legal publications by city administrator, a savings of $300.
•     Eliminate mailing of community development notices not required by law. Instead postcards will be sent, a savings of $450.
•     Eliminate annual copier maintenance for community development, a savings of $560.
•     Reduce software and IT hardware servers for city administration, a $5,000 savings.
•     Reduce council training, a savings of $1,500.
•     Reduce advertising and legal publications by city clerk, a savings of $500.
•     Reduce training and travel for the public works department, a savings of $2,875.
•     Reduce minor equipment repairs, a savings of $2,500.
•     Reduce staff training and travel for the Johnston Public Library, a savings of $1,000.

This year, the budget process was plagued with several issues including:
a change in assessed valuation by the Polk County Assessor

• increase in IPERS
• public safety referendum
• cuts to outside funding for the library
• funding the Capital Equipment plan
• funding the Capital Improvement plan