Mayor Holly Daines delivered the city’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023 at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Logan City Council on Tuesday, May 3.
LOGAN – Mayor Holly Daines announced details of the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023 at Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Logan City Council.
“We are pleased to be able to proposed a 4 percent cost of living adjustment and a 4 percent pay for performance increase to (city employees’) wages,” she said.
Daines said that the Logan has also budgeted a 7 percent increase in employees’ health care premiums, to be paid entirely by the city, up from 5 percent in the previous year.
“Retaining our good employees is a significant focus…” the mayor said. “Our insurance carrier said Logan is the only one of her clients in Utah or Colorado that still covers all health insurance premiums for employees.”
Daines added that she hopes that city employees appreciate that is a significant added benefit that saves them out-of-pocket premiums.
Daines admitted that Fiscal Year 2022 was a rollercoaster ride with regard to the city’s budget.
City planners expected COVID-19 to be over, then the new variants of the disease hit. While federal rescue funds stimulated the economy, serious supply chain issues and increased demand escalated prices. Then the war in the Ukraine sent fuel prices soaring.
Daines called the rising cost of fuel a significant concern. Although she has asked department heads to evaluate their fuel consumption and look for ways to conserve, the proposed budget includes fuel cost increases in each of the city’s departments.
“Among other things,” she said, “we are also struggling to get supplies like transformers, water meters and clamps to repair leaks.”
The mayor added that the nationwide shortage of workers is particularly acute in Cache Valley, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at a time when many businesses are expanding and adding new jobs.
The city is also struggling to hire some seasonal employees and to retain full-time employees in some key areas.
For example, the Logan Parks and Recreation Department usually hires 16 full-time seasonal workers.
“Right now,” Daines acknowledged, “we have zero.”
The mayor said that she is happy to report, however, that the city’s budget for the next fiscal year continues to project revenues conservatively and to scrutinize spending carefully.
“Conservative projection pay dividends in the future,” she said, “while aggressive projections can actually borrow from an uncertain future.”
Daines pledged that she and the city’s outstanding team are committed to providing excellent services and quality of life to local citizens.
The members of the Logan City Council will review the proposed 2023 budget during workshop sessions scheduled for May 10 and May 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the council’s chambers in City Hall.