City officials have given initial approval to its budget next year that includes funding for two middle school resource officers and $9.9 million in capital projects.
The proposed $60 million budget for 2019 is 4.3 percent higher than this year’s $58 million budget due to the Local Income Tax that was passed by the Bartholomew County Council in 2017, said Jamie Brinegar, city finance director.
The budget includes $9.9 million in capital spending across city departments with nearly half of that dedicated for road and storm water improvements next year, according to Brinegar. The Columbus City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve an ordinance tied to the budget and tax rates for 2019 with a final vote scheduled Oct. 16.
The budget also includes funding for two school resource officers to be placed at Central and Northside middle schools that will be reimbursed by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. Police Chief Jon Rohde said his department plans to have those officers in place by next August.
The city estimates it will be reimbursed $167,000 by the school corporation for the pair of resource officers, which includes salaries and benefits, Rohde said.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
