2016 Budget Adopted by Dayton Council

DAYTON—At their meeting on Dec. 7, the Dayton City Council approved a $5,765,300 budget for 2016 that places hiring of a part-time code enforcement officer at the top of the list.

The code enforcement officer would be the primary contact for land use complaints, and would actively pursue and enforce city health and safety codes and ordinances, according to city officials.

City Clerk Trina Cole said that she is receiving more and more complaints from the public about people being out of compliance with the code ordinances.

“We’ve had many complaints. People are not happy,” said Cole. “There is a problem when it starts affecting neighbors and devaluating property,” she added.

Mayor Craig George agrees. “Our number one priority is better code enforcement,” he said.

George said there will be a six-month to one-year educational component for the public, so that their rights and obligations regarding the codes are well understood.

$33,400.00 is has been budgeted for hiring a code enforcement officer, working between 28 and 32 hours per week. An opening for the two-year position should be posted by the end of 2015, and hiring will be done in March or April next year, according to Cole.

Some of the other 2016 budget highlights are:

Increasing river levee support provided by use of DOC personnel for eight weeks in the spring

Utilize Department of Corrections personnel in the cemetery and parks for routine maintenance and cemetery tree trimming

Design engineering for levee improvements

Replace wood chips in the city park playground with an alternative material

Implement Phase III of new sprinkling system in the park

Implement power efficiencies at the sewer plant

Perform a water-utility-rate study

Make further contributions to the Commercial Street development project

Focus on re-conditioning city alleyways

Create a community-wide street capital improvement funding package

Reserve funding for a city dog park

Make city hall electrical and plumbing improvements

Update rolling stock for various utility departments

Install a new shut-off valve at the reservoir

Install a new park slide

Begin work on the 2016-2018 Comprehensive Plan Update

Update Title 5, Chapter 18 DMC, Historic Preservation

Create a water splash pad park

Mayor George said there would be no utility rate increase for 2016. He said it was hardly fair to increase that rate since there was no cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients in 2016.

He also said the one-percent tax revenue increase for 2016 will be placed in reserve for projects that have yet to be identified.