City Council voted 6-1 to approve the 2017 budget yesterday.
City Council tonight approved a $65 million budget for 2017, which largely reflected the budget that Mayor Eric Papenfuse proposed last month.
“The process could not have gone more smoothly,” Papenfuse said after the spending plan was passed.
The budget, a nearly $6 million spending increase from last year, includes $2.5 million for a new public works facility, $127,754 for police body cameras and Tasers and $90,000 to repair Reservoir Park’s band shell.
City Council considered five amendments to the proposed budget before passing it. As a result, the Bureau of Police will receive funding so officers can take eight hours of mental health training. In addition, the general fund and the “host fee,” an annual allotment Harrisburg receives by hosting the regional incinerator, will fund the salaries of a park ranger and a sustainability manager, respectively. Non-uniformed city employees of the AFSCME union will receive a 1-percent raise and bonuses per their agreed upon contract.
Council Vice President Shamaine Daniels proposed an amendment to reduce the salary of the director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development from $90,000 to $70,000.
For the past three years, the Capital Region Economic Development Corp. (CREDC) has subsidized Director Jackie Parker’s $90,000 salary. Next year, the city is responsible for her entire salary, though Papenfuse said he is waiting to find out if CREDC will kick in $20,000 towards it.
Daniels insisted that her amendment was not intended to target Parker.
“This is not about the person in the position,” said Daniels, stating that the salary is about $20,000 more than the salaries of other departmental directors. “This is about the city’s position financially.”
Her budget amendment failed 6-1, with only Daniels supporting it. Daniels then voted against the budget as a whole, which was approved 6-1.
Overall, the budget largely reflected what Papenfuse proposed last month during his budget presentation.
As per capital expenditures, the Bureau of Police will receive new Tasers for every officer and the deployment of 303s on every shift. A 303 is an impact device shoots lead paintballs. With an extended range of 55 feet, the 303s can mark individuals for apprehension in a protest.
The budget also funds body cameras for every officer, as well as two new positions—a public safety information technology specialist and a crime analyst.
The new budget also gives $130,000 to the Bureau of Fire to replace a straight truck and to upgrade inspector vehicles.
Other infrastructure spending was approved for projects such as traffic signal upgrades, accessibility improvements per ADA requirements and streetlights.
City Council tonight also passed a tax bill, which will keep the city’s property tax rate unchanged for 2017.
Author: Danielle Roth
