SUMMERS ADMINISTRATION SUBMITS 2013 BUDGET TO COUNCIL

[Jim O'Bryan]

SUMMERS ADMINISTRATION SUBMITS 2013 BUDGET TO COUNCIL
On November 15, 2012, Mayor Summers’ Administration delivered the 2013 city budget to Lakewood City Council. The submitted budget is structurally balanced with projected revenues exceeding projected expenditures. The budget book, known as the Estimate of Expenses, is required by the City Charter to be submitted by November 15 of each year. This document supports the appropriations or budget ordinances that will be presented at the November 19, 2012 Lakewood City Council meeting.

The projected 2013 General Fund revenues of approximately $33.30 million are nearly $2.75 million less than the $36.05 million projected revenues of 2012. This reduction in revenue is attributed to the State Legislature’s elimination of the Estate Tax, a 50% reduction of the Local Government Fund and a 4% reduction of property tax due to decreased valuations. The $2.75 million revenue loss means the City in 2013 will be operating with revenues comparable to the 2002 levels.

The City has been working hard since Governor Kasich’s budget was introduced in February of 2011 to reduce its expenses in response to these revenue reductions. The City will continue to look for ways to lower costs including optimizing energy and fuel consumption, expanding recycling, leveraging technology to improve effectiveness, negotiating fair, balanced and affordable labor contracts and analyzing the best use of City facilities to optimize space and customer service accessibility. One tool the City’s introduced and began implementing this year is LEAN Lakewood, a process which challenges current methods in an attempt to lower costs and streamline processes and workflows.

“Local government has to begin a whole new way of thinking,” stated Mayor Mike Summers. “Delivering services with substantially less resources is very challenging. But we are confident we can continue to provide the level of service that our residents have come to expect. Our focus will remain on lowering costs and making the best use of our revenue sources as we respond to these significant cuts from the state. Additionally, we are challenged to create a capacity to invest in Lakewood’s future.”

Pdf of the budget here:
http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1353099797.pdf

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