The City of Sedalia adopted its latest and greatest budget in the history of the City Monday night, with the FY2018 budget topping out at around $38 million.

Randy Kirby
Randy Kirby
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According to City Administrator Gary Edwards, the budgetary process is the most important document for the City. “It's more than a numbers document, it's a policy-making document,” he said after the City Council meeting. “We started back in November and December, and it's a record-sized budget. And we're on target as far as a (healthy) fund balance. We're right at 50 percent. But it involved a lot of people, the Council, department heads and the public working with the budget team.”

Maintaining that budget throughout the year is a big part of the budgetary process. “And that lasts every day and throughout the year,” he pointed out.

The budget was adopted by a vote of 7-1, with Jo Lynn Turley casting the lone no vote.

There was also a public meeting and hearing on the proposed sewer rate increase at the start on Monday night's Council meeting. But it was very brief, with no one coming forward to speak about the increase. And the monthly rate was later voted on by the Council by a 6-2 margin, with Bob Cross and Bonita Nash casting no votes.

The current rate of $5.05 per 1,000 gallons will be increase to $5.45 as of April 1. Edwards explained that the desire was to have small, incremental increases over a longer period of time, thereby having “less of a major impact on users.” The last increase was over 100 percent, he stressed. This increase is 8.19 percent.

Mayor Stephen J. Galliher thanked the other two members of the City's budget team (Edwards and Kelvin Shaw) and also thanked the department heads for their effort. “We appreciate that,” he said.

At the pre-council meeting, an annual report from the Citizen's Committee for Smart Growth was given by Kevin Wade, committee chairman.

The four-minute report included an upcoming event at Bothwell Lodge. Arbor Day will be observed there on April 27 with a ceremony at 3:30 p.m.

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