Huntsville passed one of its largest budgets ever at its September 22nd council meeting. Highlights are below:
It was a $281 million total budget — providing a 5% COLA adjustment to city employees to begin the next fiscal year.
Council passed an amendment of capital expenditures funds to provide each city councilor with $75,000 in discretionary funds. Each councilor must present the items for a vote and receive passage of a majority of the council. Councilors may also choose to opt out of their funds and return them back to the capital expenditures fund.
This year’s budget allocates $100 million toward road projects for the next year.
Council approves a resolution indicating they desire passage of a local bill to allow them to continue issues citations and summons, in lieu of arrest, for certain, low-level offenses.
The budget includes $15 million for Huntsville to contribute to the road construction projects, two of them to improve traffic flow, with more money set aside in future budgets.
The seven projects are as follows:
Highway 72 east of I-565 to Shields Road
Widening of Highway 53 in northern Madison County from Tauras Drive to Old Railroad Bed Road
Widening of I-565 from County Line Road to Wall Triana Highway
Improvements to Interchange I-565/Memorial Parkway
Widening Highway 72 west of Providence Main to County Line Road in Huntsville and Madison
Resolute Way Interchange (directly west of Research Park Boulevard) with access to the Arsenal
East Arsenal Connector from the Sparkman Drive exit to Patton Road.
The budget also includes 24 new police posts and 19 new fire and rescue posts. The fire and rescue shock will be used largely to build a new fire station in West Huntsville.