Part of $34.7 Boulder City budget to help theater

Greg Harman

Wednesday, May 17, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

Stray animals wandering Boulder City streets will need to keep a sharper eye after July 1. The Boulder City Theater will get a sprucing up, and a redevelopment plan will be launched in the new fiscal year.

The Boulder City Council on Tuesday approved a $34.7 million budget for fiscal year 2001, which begins July 1.

The budget includes $18,000 to upgrade a part-time animal control officer to full time, $30,000 to refurbish the downtown theater and $400,000 to establish a trust fund for the newly founded redevelopment authority.

The $34.7 million budget also will spend $5.4 million for new parks, landscaping and flood control measures, $1 million for street reconstruction and $1 million for equipment replacement and improvement. It sets aside a contingency fund of $432,000 for unanticipated expenses.

To underwrite those expenses, homeowners will pay about a penny more in their property tax rate. A city tax rate of 21.15 cents per $100 property valuation for fiscal 2001 was adopted by the council, compared with last year's 20.22 cents.

While the $34.7 million 2001 budget expenditures rose above this year's $33.3 million, the city's revenue dipped slightly.

The expected fiscal year 2001 revenue is $29.7 million, down about $500,000 from fiscal year 2000.

Fiscal year 2001 begins July 1, 2000.

To help keep a closer eye on city expenses Finance Director Bob Kenney said his department is expanding an "activity-based costing" program that began last year in the Parks and Recreation Department.

"If you charge any fees, or any kind of fee for a service, you can get an idea whether the activity is paying for itself or if the city is subsidizing the program," Kenney said.

Preliminary results will be available to help tailor next year's budget, he said.