On Monday, August 12th, City Council held the first of a series of meetings related to the 24/25 City Budget. This meeting is an opportunity for members of Council to share their priorities for the city. Committtee meetings are not streamed or recorded.

Find the PowerPoint presentation here: https://livoniami.portal.civicclerk.com/event/494/files/attachment/14383

The administration will present the proposed budget to Council by September 15th and there will be a Public Hearing on Ocotber 2nd.

City revenue is up by approximately $2.4M. Property taxes increased 6% and state shared revnue was down.

The Budget focus for the year ahead will be Senior Center project, library updates, new City Hall and preperation for new police department and fire station improvements.

Administration goals include prioritizing infrastructure and doing an internal realigment of the Department of Public Works to better meet its responsibilities and requirements. Establish a position to lead project management for large scale projects and long-term strategic operations. Transition to a Priority Based Budgeting system for the 25/26 budget year.

Finance Director, Debra Lichtenberg, shared that the city intends to move towards a Priority Based Budgeting system. This strategy attaches costs to specific programs/services allowing for community valued items to be better proioritized/protected. A hypothetical example is that if cuts were needed, instead of a unilateral budget cut across a department. Certain programs would be prioritized to maintain their budget while other areas would be identified restructuring. This is a long-term strategy that allows for more flexibility in addressing city needs. Learn more about Priority Based Budgeting here – https://livoniami.portal.civicclerk.com/event/494/files/attachment/14382