Anna City Council reviews Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget

Discussion about a new budget highlighted a special meeting of the Anna City Council which was held Wednesday afternoon, April 7. The meeting was at Anna City Hall.

Action at last week’s meeting included the passing of Resolution 2021-12, giving tentative approval to the city’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget. The city’s fiscal year begins on May 1 and continues through April 30, 2022.

City administrator Dori Bigler presented the council with an overview of the proposed budget, which is 95 pages long. Bigler said that work on the new budget began in November.

In keeping with long-standing practice, the city’s budget once again will be balanced.

Key numbers in the $8,089,722 budget include $3,679,701 for the general fund; $1,591,261 for water; $759,750 for disposal; $1,709,010 for gas; and $350,000 for motor fuel tax.

A public hearing on the proposed budget is set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at city hall. The council is expected to act on the budget at a regular meeting which also is set for April 20.

In other business at last week’s meeting:

Several items of business related to the Anna City Park were discussed at last week’s meeting.

The city had sought bids for concessions at the park for 2021. No bids were received.

City officials are looking at the possibility of securing vending machines, as well as having food trucks come to the park.

The park is expected to be a busy place in coming weeks and months. 

The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School baseball team will be utilizing park facilities for a period which began April 5 and continues through June 30. The team plays its home games at the park’s Kiwanis Field.

A National Day of Prayer service is being planned at the park on May 6. The city will provide insurance for the event.

A pickleball tournament is planned May 14-16 at the park.

A disc golf tournament is being planned at the park in conjunction with an Annabelle Festival, which is scheduled June 11-12. The city will be helping to support the tournament.

City officials are working to create signage which will be posted at the basketball and pickleball courts at the park. The move is in response to incidents of bad behavior which have been reported at the courts.

An update was shared on plans which are moving forward to do work to fix a flooding problem in the 500 block of East Vienna Street.

Flooding has occurred for a number of years at the location when heavy rain falls. City officials have been working for some time to resolve the matter.

Now, it appears that bids for the project could be submitted soon, with work expected to take place this spring or summer.

The city administrator reported that she acted quickly to move on securing possible federal funding for two projects: $600,000 for a new fire truck and $750,000 for the Hadley’s Haven playground project which is planned at the Anna City Park. 

City officials agreed to work with an Iowa man who had purchased property in the 200 block of George St.

The man who made the purchase told city officials that he did not learn until after he acquired the property that it came with lien of nearly $6,000. He is in the process of fixing the property with plans to sell it. 

With the possibility of seeing the property brought up to code and ending up on the tax rolls, city officials said they would be willing to work with the owner.

The resignation of Anna Police Department officer Jeremy Reagan was accepted. Reagan was praised for the work he had done with the department by both Mayor Steve Hartline and Anna Police Department Chief Bryan Watkins.

The reappointment of Danyelle Dodd to the city’s police pension board for a term of two years was approved.

The reappointment of  city administrator Dori Bigler as the city’s representative to the Anna-Jonesboro Water Commission was approved. The reappointment is for a term from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2027.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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