Photo courtesy of Wayne Morris
Chelsea council 9/16
Members of Scout Troop 354 were in attendance at the Sept. 16 council meeting.
The 2020-21 annual budget for the city of Chelsea was approved during the Sept. 15 city council meeting.
The total income for the adopted budget was $14,179,057, which left a surplus of $200,423.
Total expenditures from the general fund were $5,483,251. That number included over $2.4 million for general city expenditures; $959,042 for citizen protection contracts; $688,050 for parks and recreation; $499,100 for the community center, $496,759 for the library; $355,350 for the maintenance department; $44,500 for streets and roads; and $22,500 for the C.O.P. program. The senior center, historical museum and planning and zoning made up the rest.
Operating transfers out were $3,504,655 for the fire department, $1,569,158 for debt service and $768,000 for capital projects totaling $5,841,813.
The education fund was set to bring in $1.8 million. That money goes directly back to the Chelsea schools in the form of grants requested by teachers and administrators.
The council approved two proclamations. The first was to declare Sept. 28 as Family Day and the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 2 as Family Week in the city of Chelsea. These were to encourage families to spend time together.
Also, the week of Sept. 17-23 was declared Constitution week to mark the 233rd anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
In addition to the budget, three other resolutions were approved:
- To execute a contract from HdL to perform a business license ordinance review and fee analysis
- To provide Tier I retirement benefits Tier 2 plan members, as well as future employees. These benefits for employees do not affect and do not apply to elected officials.
- Approval to pay the bills
During the community forum, Fire Chief Joe Lee thanked the mayor and council for approving the retirement benefits.
“Not everyone understands Tier 1 and what that means, but those of us in the retirement system, especially firemen, understand that completely. It’s a big deal to our young guys and new guys we will have in the future. Also, approving this budget means we get to have staffing. The more people we have on duty every day, the safer the city is. On behalf of the entire fire department, thank you to this council and mayor for all you do for us. You make it a great place to work and a great place to live.”
Upcoming dates:
- Oct. 3: Bulk trash day. A list of items accepted items is available at at cityofchelsea.com
- Oct. 6: City Council meeting. There will be a public hearing regarding a rezoning request for property at 54 Simmons Drive.
- Oct. 12: Columbus Day. City hall will be closed.
- Oct. 20: City Council meeting
October is also the deadline to fill out the census. For information, call 844-330-2020 or visit my2020census.gov.
