A public hearing was held Tuesday afternoon prior to the first vote for the Red Bank fiscal year 2021 operating budget, with no resident of the city present speaking for or against it. The proposed budget passed unanimously.
City Manager Tim Thornbury thanked the department heads for being flexible with requests during the creation of the budget in a year when revenue is uncertain. The proposed budget has total expenditures of $6,784,297.
There will be no property tax increase, the rate remains at $1.39 per $100 of assessed value. There will be a one-time, additional $4 increase per household to the stormwater fee, raising it from $36 to $40.
Employees will receive a two percent, across the board raise. Also included in the proposed budget are several vehicles that are needed for keeping the same level of service that the city has provided in previous years. A Rescue truck will be purchased for the fire department and there will also be one police vehicle, a dump truck used for leaf collections, a new garbage truck and one backhoe bought in 2021.
A year-end amendment was approved for the fiscal year 2020 budget, to appropriate overages that are carried over from year to year. This year the changes are largely due to grants received as well as those that will be rolled over.
A resolution was passed to place a moratorium on Adult Oriented Establishments. The city’s existing ordinances and regulations have not been reviewed or updated recently. Court cases and studies in surrounding cities have prompted the commissioners to look at its current ordinances for these businesses.
The next meeting of the Red Bank Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, at 6 p.m.