2019/02/25 - Mayor's Column: Budget Season
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
Starting this week, the City Council will begin analyzing the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020 (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020). City Staff have been working on the budget since early fall. But even so, it seems as if we are always in budget season.
The proposed budget will be examined over the next few months, before it is approved and serves as the roadmap for the next year. State law requires municipalities to pass a budget prior to the beginning of their fiscal year.
I am proud to say that the proposed budget will continue to help carry O’Fallon into the future. The budget prioritizes spending in the areas that our City Council, and the residents of O’Fallon have stated are priorities. While all City services will continue to receive adequate funding, public safety, economic development, and public infrastructure will again be highlighted in the oncoming year.
Please remember that these budget numbers have not yet been approved by the City Council. As such, they are still subject to change.
Public Safety: Over the past few years, we have been able to continually strive for success in public safety. We now sit at 50 sworn officers, a fully consolidated dispatch center, a well-equipped emergency medical services team, and a dedicated and well-trained fire department. The FY2020 budget will continue to provide excellent public safety services for O’Fallon.
Economic Development: O’Fallon has been going through a tremendous growth phase. We are working diligently to capitalize on the growth by attracting and supporting additional smart growth of the community. I often say, “if you aren’t moving forward, you’re going to fall backwards.” This next year’s budget will keep us moving forward as it focuses on future development opportunities in our growth corridors.
Public Infrastructure: Next year’s budget will heavily invest in our public infrastructure. In fact, the proposed budget includes nearly $23.5 million going towards our streets, sidewalks, public utilities, and stormwater control. We will be continuing our annual pavement management program which addresses O’Fallon’s streets based on a schedule of diagnostic priority. We will also be upgrading O’Fallon’s waste water treatment plant in order to handle the current and future growth of the community. There is a long list of projects planned for the next year and beyond. If you would like to view of Capital Improvements Plan, which includes the projects scheduled over the next five years, please go to https://www.ofallon.org/administration/pages/capital-improvements-plan
If you have comments or questions, I encourage you to attend the budget meetings over the next few months. The annual budget serves as the roadmap for the future year, so input from our residents is greatly important.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!