City of Branson adopts 2009 budget - Branson Daily News

By Tonyi Crandell BDN Staff Writer tcrandell@bransondailynews.com After months of public scrutiny and stringent examination, Branson aldermen unanimously approved and adopted a 2009 fiscal year budget on Monday. According to Dean Kruithof, city administrator, the new budget is "conservative" compared to previous budgets. "Since our goal is to roll things back to spending levels that the city saw in 2007, we are conservatively estimating that revenues could come in at the 2007 level," Kruithof said. In 2007, city records show that revenues were lower and Kruithof added that an "underestimation of the revenue is better than being overly optimistic." Kruithof also said that even though Branson has had steady tax increases, city officials are still unsure how the economic downturn will further affect the city. The new budget shows total revenues of $45.5 million and expenditures of $46.7 million, leaving a deficit of about $1.2 million. Kruithof said he expects the finance committee will be able to present a budget with a general fund balance no lower than $6 million — as it stands now — at the end of 2009. "This fund balance of $6 million is the floor and we are not going below it," said Kruithof. "Just imagine that in 2007 the city had a savings of $12 million and now that savings is $6 million." Kruithof also said that serious efforts to increase the general fund would be taken. "We are going to be looking at our revenue and then, we are going to be taking a very hard look at the expenditures of the Branson Convention Center and the Branson Landing," Kruithof said. "What we want to do is work to find efficiencies." OTHER ACTION • Aldermen approved a first, then a final reading of a bill which would authorize a contract between U.S. Cellular and the city. Under the 15-year contract, U.S. Cellular will lease space on the Wal-Mart water tower for the placement of telecommunications equipment and pay the city a $17,000 installation fee and a rental fee of $2,500 per month, with an automatic annual increase of 4 percent. -- http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com