City earmarks gambling revenue
Now that the gambling referendum has passed, Burlington officials can begin to figure out what the city will do with more than two–thirds of the $368,000 in gambling revenues it will continue to collect annually. In fact, the city will have a windfall for the first six months of 2003 because gambling revenues weren't budgeted for the tail end of this fiscal year, according to Mayor Tim Scott. The city has been using all of its gambling revenue toward riverfront improvements, but intends to earmark only $108,000 annually toward riverfront projects for the eight–year life of the referendum, Scott said. City officials are set to prepare the 2003–04 budget, which will be adopted by March 15 and become effective July 1, 2003, and will be able to count on receiving gambling revenues. After the money earmarked for riverfront projects is subtracted, the balance can be divvied up for things like youth programs, senior programs and the city street and sidewalk programs, Scott said. Scott said $50,000 of the money could be set aside for youth programs and another $50,000 for senior programs. Scott said he's hoping residents step forward with their own ideas on where the money should be spent. The city likely will require organizations seeking money for a particular project to provide a matching grant. For instance, if one of the city's Little League organizations comes before the council with a request for a grant, the city will require it to raise half of what the organization needs and the city would pay the other half, Scott said. "We don't want to see it as being an annual funding of a program," Scott said. "We don't want to see it go to funding the youth coordinator. We want to see it go to one–time projects so it gets spread around better, not to a program where we're going to take money and fund the usual program on an annual basis." Scott said he also would like to see the city double the amount of money budgeted for the city sidewalk program. Right now, the city budgets $15,000 toward the program, which provides residents wanting to repair, replace or install a sidewalk in front of their home about $4 per linear foot of concrete. "The city basically pays for the concrete," Scott said. "It's up to the resident to pay a contractor or do the work themselves." Scott also would like to see the residential street program get funded. As it stands, the cost–sharing program isn't funded and city officials must find money in other programs to fund it, he said. Residents wanting a sealcoated or gravel street paved can petition the council. If the street qualifies for the program, the city pays about 75 percent of the needed work while the residents are billed about 25 percent of the cost, he said. Right now, however, city officials don't know where to find more funding for the program and the gambling revenue might be the answer, he said. As for the continued riverfront improvements, there's been some interest expressed by residents about redesigning four boat ramps along the southern section of the riverfront, the addition of boat slips and possibly enclosing the north end of the Port of Burlington Welcome Center. The north side of the center is open throughout the year and Scott believes it would be more efficient if removable windows were added so it could be used during winter months. While the council and public mull the possibilities of what to do with the money, Scott said there will be a windfall for the first six months of 2003 because gambling revenues weren't budgeted. What that money will be used for is not known at this point, but Scott said one area where it could be partially applied is to make up for an expected loss in sales tax revenues. The city budgeted for $3.1 million in sales tax revenues, but a recent state report indicated the number looks like it will be only $2.9 million. The 1–cent local–option sales tax money is allocated for offsetting property taxes, funding several police officer positions and capital improvement projects.
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