New ball fields at the Medford Sports and Community Park at a cost of $16.7 million and the city's $12.8 million contribution to the south Medford interchange project are among the biggest expenses planned for the city in the next two years.
The projects are part of the city's $278 million draft biennium budget for 2007-2009 released Tuesday. The budget is 19 percent higher than last biennium.
Also included is $8.9 million for the water reclamation division's pilot project to spray the city's treated sewer water on local crops. The project originally was scheduled to be under way in 2005, but has been postponed pending the release of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality regulations.
The draft document also includes $1.6 million for upgrades to the Santo Community Center and $1.3 million for new heating, air conditioning and lighting in City Hall.
In all, nearly $80 million is designated for capital improvement projects, compared with $48 million set aside for such projects in 2005-2007.
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Six new full-time staff members are being proposed for the public works department, the only staff increases included in next biennium's budget.
"Four of them are paid completely by reducing temporary labor," said Public Works Director Cory Crebbin, adding that he did not have a total figure for the positions.
"Temporary help is not a good way to go," he said. In addition to staff time devoted to soliciting, hiring and training temporary employees, their lack of experience costs the department money. They have more workplace and construction injuries, he said.
"We have a fantastically higher accident rate with temporaries," he said.
Chan said of the $91.3 million in revenues budgeted in the general fund, $54.5 million, or 60 percent, comes from property taxes and $15.9, or 17 percent, comes from franchise fees. The remainder comes from state revenue sharing, transfers, permits and other fees.
Sixty percent of the expenditures budgeted in the general fund goes to police and fire departments. The remainder goes to parks, planning, engineering, municipal court and other services.
Chan said the city's contingency fund totals three months of operating expenses, or $10.3 million.
"Last biennium we had to use some of our contingency. We've restored that fund," she said.
The public is invited to give input during the budget committee's first meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. April 25 in Council Chambers, City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St., Medford.
The budget committee members are Bob Doolen, Bob Bartalini, Lenore Drake, Eric Dziura, Ed Felan, Bob Gervais, Jeff Palmer, Marlene Yesquen as well as the mayor and City Council members.
A copy of the budget is available for the public to examine at the finance department in City Hall.
Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com.
