Mayor Dave Munson today presented a 2010 budget to the City Council that emphasized maintaining the quality of the City’s existing services and minimized spending on new programs. The 2010 budget prioritizes infrastructure, basic services, and public safety.

The 2010 budget totals $337 million, a decrease of 18.2 percent over 2009, mainly because funding for major projects like the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System has been completed.

The 2010 breaks down on a percentage basis in the following areas: 

• 42 percent goes to infrastructure and basic services. This includes road maintenance, snow removal, water and sewer services, and landfill. 
• 17 percent goes to public health and safety, mainly the cost to employ hundreds of police and firefighters. 
• 12 percent goes to culture and recreation. This includes all parks and library employees as well as all the construction projects within those departments. 
• 5 percent goes to pay back tax supported debt. 
• What’s left is less than 25 percent of the budget to fund general government, planning, and transit. Also included here are payments from the City’s pension trust and other internal funds.

Munson’s budget address focused primarily on the City’s general operating fund, which funds most of the City’s day-to-day operating expenses.

Munson proposed a general operating budget of $123 million, an increase of 4 percent over 2009 that maintains current service levels and does not add new programs.

Munson also updated the City Council on progress made with performance measurement, a budgeting technique introduced in 2007 that focuses on providing services and defining goals and outcomes. For the 2010 budget, departments have outlined specific goals for their operations and have set targets for the upcoming year.

“Reviewing these goals and outcomes helps all of us better understand the value of the services that we receive in exchange for our funding levels,” Munson said. “It also allows us to track our progress over time.”

In his address, Munson identified his key budget priorities in 2010 as public health and safety, infrastructure and basic services, neighborhood preservation and economic development, and quality of life.

In addition, Munson discussed the City’s sales tax-funded capital improvement projects. In 2009, this budget is estimated at $48.4 million. The majority of this budget is used to fund road construction. In the last few years, the City has steadily added to the amount dedicated to maintenance. Over the next five years, 69 percent of the fund will go to Public Works, mainly for road construction, 16 percent will go to Parks and Recreation, and 15 percent will go to other departments and fund projects like fire stations and other building improvements.

For more information on the budget, go to www.siouxfalls.org/budgetbasics.