A $160,152,000 city budget includes a 3 percent employee pay increase and does not require a tax increase for the fifth straight year, Mayor Ron Littlefield said.

The budget has no increase in positions and "continues the focus on job recruitment and retention," he said.

It includes elimination of curbside recycling, except perhaps in sections with high usage of recycling, the mayor said.

He said the budget maintains the highest number of uniformed officers on city streets in city history - 471.

There will be six additional 911 communication officers, and enhanced 311 service, it was stated.

Major initiatives include $60,000 for the Great Ideas Competition, $25,000 for Go!Fest, $100,000 for Stop The Madness and $40,000 for a waterfront events management contract.

The budget includes funding for onsite medical clinics for city employees.

Mayor Littlefield said there will be more efficient recycling program, including an increase in the number of convenience centers from one at Warner Park to five (adding Brainerd, Hixson, St. Elmo and Lookout Valley).

The program will be expanded to include glass and electronics. The contract with Orange Grove will be expanded - 24 additional jobs.

Cutting curbside recycling will save $570,000, it was stated.

Mayor Littlefield said the current program "uses gallons and gallons of diesel fuel to essentially collect paper. That may not be the best thing environmentally."

He said a number of other cities have done away with curbside recycling.

There will be a revised city employee pay plan "to attract and maintain professional and diverse workforce and provide greater flexibility to incorporate total compensation and performance as part of pay decision."

The employee compensation will cost $2,520,561, including a 4.5 percent increase in general pension contribution and 3.3 percent increase in F&P pension.

There will be no increase in medical insurance premiums to employees.

Officials said diesel is up more than $359,518, gasoline up by $256,588, parts and supplies up $490,354 and total vehicle operations up $2 million.

Utilities are up $768,000.

Property tax revenue is due to rise from $90.1 million to $92.2 million, countywide sales tax from $24.5 million to $26.1 million, and state sales tax from $9.9 million to $11.1 million.

Total revenues are set to rise from $152.2 million to $160.1 million.

General government is to go from $33.1 million to $37.5 million, finance and administration from $8.8 million to $3.7 million, police from $38.8 million to $40 million, fire from $25.7 million to $26 million, public works from $27.6 million to $30.2 million, parks from $10 million to $10.6 million, education, arts and culture from $1.5 million to $2.2 million, personnel from $6.6 million to $6.1 million, neighborhood services from $1,827,966 to $1,841,372, and executive from $1.4 million to $1.6 million.

The overall budget is up 2.85 percent.

City Council goes from $615,534 to $693,898
Allied Arts $250,00 to $155,000
Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise same $1.5 million
Channel 45 same $60,000
Riverpark $994,756 to $1,191,000
Childrens Advocacy Center same $30,000
Community Foundation Scholarships same $160,000
Urban League same $50,000
Downtown Partnership $140,000 to $100,000
African-American Museum same $70,000
Regional History Museum same $24,000
Association of Visual Artists $15,000 to zero
Community Impact Fund $250,000
Finley Stadium same $25,000
Enterprise Center same $100,000
Enterprise South Nature Park $104,262
CARTA $3,415,300 to $3,665,300
Bicentennial Library same $2,487,660
Air Pollution Control Bureau same $270,820
Planning Agency same $942,817

Officials said the city reserve fund at one time was around $40 million. It was $27 million in 2001. The fund balance is now at $39 million.

Daisy Madison, city finance director, said there are no plans to dip into the reserve fund in the coming year and it should grow by another $3 million.

She said it is important to maintain a large reserve in order to keep the city bonding rating high.