Council members discussed proposed changes to the city budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year during a Wilmington City Council budget retreat at Wilmington International Airport Monday, June 8.
“This is essentially our last revision. … We will be putting a resolution forward at the June 16 meeting,” said Lynn Heim, the city’s budget director. “We start the budget process fairly early and we don’t have all the details. We don’t know exactly how these funds will be appropriated.”
One budget item Heim suggested revising was the $300,000 allocated for miscellaneous funds.
Heim proposed moving $220,000 to a new sundry account.
“The second piece of that is moving $50,000 to a new agency account. It’s already an agency we appropriate money for, but this would be a new initiative, and at the time we were initially looking at the budget, we didn’t have it formalized. . . . We feel comfortable saying it’s going to be a summer jobs program for Kids Making It.”
Kids Making It is a Wilmington-based nonprofit organization that teaches at-risk youth woodworking and other vocational skills.
“It’s all tied into community safety and raising responsible adults. … I think it’s a good program,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Margaret Haynes. “Obviously, it’s a response to an incentive the community wants to support.”
Heim also proposed a reduction of general funds in the public services budget.
“There is going to be a reallocation of indirect costs,” she said. “The amount of general funds of public services will be reduced by $30,000.”
Heim added, the funds will be redistributed to treatments for either storm water or public waste.
Heim discussed funding requests, including a request from Wave Transit.
“We have received a funding request from Wave for matching funds for four new buses,” she said.
Wave requested $370,000 to fund the buses and $17,912 for bus shelters.
The Children’s Museum of Wilmington also submitted a request.
“The original request was for $28,000. … We’re going to put in a request for $10,000 and New Hanover County will also put in $10,000, if that’s acceptable to you,” Heim said.
The museum’s request sparked a debate among council members.
“I’m very supportive of the children’s museum, personally and as a council member,” said councilman Kevin O’Grady.
Heim also brought up a $5,000 request from the Arts Council of Wilmington.
“It looks to me like everybody has seen an increase except for Arts Council,” said councilwoman Laura Padgett. “ We’ve raised Cucalorus, which I’m great with. … If other agencies got increases, they should have as well.”
Haynes mentioned this is the first year the city council has supported the Jewish Film Festival, which was previously supported by the arts council.
Haynes suggested that awarding the Jewish Film Festival $2,000 was a way of increasing the arts council’s funds.
“I’m really supportive of the Arts Council — I think it’s great,” she said.
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