The Pella City Council approved of the fiscal year 2020 budget at Tuesday’s meeting. City administration developed the draft that includes projected revenues of approximately $44 million, while maintaining the current tax levy of $10.20 per $1000 of valuation. The proposed budget includes the addition of a new school resource officer in conjunction with the Pella Community School District, an 8% wastewater increase to accommodate Iowa DNR-mandated wastewater improvements, a proposed timeline for improvements to the central business district, a plan to improve residential and collector streets in the city, and several other items.

Council also approved the first reading of an ordinance increasing the compensation paid to the mayor and council. According to city staff, compensation amounts for elected officials in the City of Pella have not increased since 2008. Staff says unlike many moderate to large sized communities, the city council has direct oversight over most city utilities and functions. If approved after three readings, it would go into effect in January 2020. The current compensation of $7,200 annually for the mayor and $2,400 for councilmembers would be increased to $13,500 and $6,000 respectively, and then incrementally raised for the next four years eventually to $18,000 and $9,000 by 2023. Starting in 2024, an annual increase would be determined by the average increase in prices for the Midwest region, as established by the federal government’s consumer price index for the prior 12 months.