EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Funding for Mesker Park Zoo, blight elimination, affordable housing, road repairs and 20 new police cars are at the forefront of the 2019 city budget.

The proposed budget made its official appearance Monday afternoon.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke presented his budget recommendations to the City Council finance committee Monday. The total proposed budget is $395.2 million — an increase of more than 15 percent from 2018.

“The proposed budget, even though it is a balanced budget, does account for a two percent pay raise for employees,” he said.

The highest proposed expenditures fall into three categories: sewer (29 percent), public safety (20 percent) and water (17 percent). Nearly 11 percent of this year’s budget increase is attributed to water and sewer utility expenses, Winnecke said.

The city expects to pull in $402.5 million in revenue from taxes and various streams. Property tax and utility rates (water and sewer) are prominent revenue streams, according to city administration.

The increase in revenue is 8 percent higher than in 2018. The new Public Safety Local Income Tax is expected to bring in $4.4 million in new revenue next year, Winnecke confirmed.

He emphasized the importance of investing in the city’s transportation infrastructure, continuing the Land Bank blight elimination program, investing in Affordable Housing projects, providing public safety with new tools and protecting Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden’s accreditation status and the continuation of new exhibits or attractions there.

“We are requesting that they fund the Affordable Housing Trust fund with $500,000,” he said. “We think this is a really critical request. I can tell you that there is some really dynamic affordable housing initiatives that will be rolled out in the broader community in the coming weeks.”

Finance Chair Jonathan Weaver said the Mesker Park Zoo additions will be great for the City of Evansville. He is also excited for the affordable housing projects and public safety upgrades.

“It would be nice if more money was donated to the zoo, and this is probably a good example of why it should be privatized,” he said. “People don’t realize it costs $5 million to run the zoo, and that’s just the bare bones of it.”

Excluded in the 2019 budget is: Lloyd Pool replacement and upgrades to Mesker Park Amphitheatre and Roberts Park. Although replacing Lloyd Pool is not in the 2019 budget, Winnecke said he would announce an alternative plan to replace Lloyd Pool soon.

Council members are excited about the proposed capital projects but question why a year-to-date expense column for 2018 wasn’t provided by the administration in the 2019 budget proposal book.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Missy Mosby said the year-to-date column is usually present on annual proposal budgets.

“We’ve always received that,” she said. “How can we look at a budget and actually do our jobs when we’re not given all the information that we need. I have a lot of concerns about overtime. I want to look and see what department heads are spending year to date on overtime.”

Winnecke addressed Council members’ concerns regarding year-to-date updates Monday. He said the year-to-date column was left out because it’s not a part of the automatic operating system, and the administration was pushing to meet the Aug. 17 budget deadline.

Although Mosby has a few concerns, she is excited to see budget projections, stating, “there’s a lot of things I want for our city, but we have to make sure we can afford them.”

Winnecke said the 2019 budget is a collaborative effort among city administration and the Council.

“We don’t expect that we will agree with City Council on everything we propose, and I don’t expect I will agree with everything they’d like to counter with,” he said. “We do understand that our citizens expect local government to run smoothly, and we need a good budget to be passed.”

Budget hearings will continue at 3:30 p.m. for the remainder of the week at the Civic Center, 1 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The final budget vote is scheduled for Oct. 8.

Proposed Capital Projects

• $500,000 – Investment in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• $460,000 – Humboldt Penguin exhibit at Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garde
• $403,000 – 20 Evansville Police Department vehicles and safety vests
• $940,000 – purchase/replacement of 5 METS Transit Busses
• $570,000 – Engine 1 fire truck replacement 
• $444,000 – Final phase of Central dispatch radio/console communications system upgrade
• $4.9 million – Street resurfacing /drainage and new road projects
• $180,000 – Purchase of new snow removal truck
• $1.7 million – Blight elimination and trash /debris removal 
• $34 million – West Waste Water Plan expansion
• $29 million – Westside 6 million-gallon storage equalization basin (sewer)
• $29 million – Effluent pump station (sewer) at Kids Kingdom Playground site
• $28 million – 15-mile waterline  replacement 
• $4.3 million- Waterworks Road relocation 
•  $20,000  – 7 new emergency sirens