FY 18 Annual Report

Administration

2018

CITY OF SPENCER, IOWA

Departmental Highlights

The Administrative department consist of the office of the City Manger, City Clerk and Finance Departments. Administration is responsible for overseeing the general activities of the City and for implementing the policies of the Mayor and City Council. In January 2018, the city welcomed Amanda Mack as the new City Manager. The City also welcomed two new employees in the Administration office in FY 18. One each in the City Clerk's office and the Finance Department. The City is in the beginning stages of design work for a new City Hall facility. In FY 17 & FY 18, the City negotiated with Northwest Bank for the purchase of their building located at 101 W 5th Street for use as a new City Hall location. In addition, the City entered into a purchase agreement with Farmer's Bank to purchase the existing City Hall location. The renovations are expected to be completed by the end of calendar year 2019 and the city occupying the new space a that time. Also considered part of the Administration are expenses related to city wide elections and general legal expenses. In FY 18, the city held an election for mayor and city council positions. The Clay County Auditor is responsible for running the elections and the City reimburses Clay County for related election costs. Expenses related to the City Attorney are also included as part of the Administration overview. The City utilizes two different firms for legal services. Hemphill Law of Spencer handles the majority of the City's work, including nuisance abatement, magistrate's court appearances, traffic citations and overall general legal situations. In addition to Hemphill Law, the City also utilizes the services of Dorsey and Whitney for advice in Urban Renewal, TIF, economic development agreements and debt issuance.

Budget Review

Total expenditures for city administration totaled $676,549.13 for FY 18, an increase of $50,158.75 (+8.53%) compared to FY 17. The primary reason for the increase was form expenditures into eh general administration and general election departments. Within general administration, the department saw an increase of $26,801.89 compared to FY 17. This was because of increases in the contractual services and commodities categories. Both of these categories increased because of costs related to the search for a new City Manager. The City also conducted a normal city wide election in FY 18. Therefore the increase in election expense. Employees of the department are eligible to participate in IPERS. Payments to IPERS increases slightly in FY 18 compared to FY 17. Overall the department expended 86.87% of its budget in FY 18.

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