ALTUS — A $47 million city budget that remains largely flat from last year was recently approved by the Altus City Council.
The new budget will cover the 2023-2024 fiscal year which begins July 1.
Slight increases were made for the Altus police and fire departments because of negotiations between the city and the two unions, City Manager Gary Jones said. The police department will have a $5.3 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year while the fire department will operate on $3.7 million. Each department will receive an estimated 3% increase in funding.
“Every two years we negotiate a contract with them (unions),” Jones said. “We anticipate a raise for the general employees, but the amount hasn’t been determined yet.”
The general fund, which includes all city departments, totals $24.2 million. The rest of the $47 million city budget is allocated for loans, grants and special projects such as the $9 million for the Veteran’s Court housing addition and $3 million for the annual capital improvement fund.
Ward III Councilman Terrence Filer voted against the city budget as the measure passed 7-1.
“We broke it (the budget) up this year where it’s easier to understand,” Jones said. “We split the loans and grants away from other items so it could be understood better. We’ll also be having a slight increase in the general fund, but not much.”
Jones anticipates the new budget will allow the city to deliver all of the core services Altus residents expect.
“We should be able to make a dent in the old infrastructure, too,” he said.
ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, which came from the federal government due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are being used to repair a 16-inch water line to Altus Air Force Base. Federal grant funds also will be used to help install water and sewer lines to the Altus Industrial Park.
In addition, the Altus Municipal Authority unanimously approved its $119 million budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Included in the AMA budget is $23 million for the electric department, $4.8 million for the water treatment plant, $2.1 million for water/sewer line maintenance and construction, $2.3 million for sanitation, $1.6 million for the wastewater treatment plant.