City passes healthier new budget

[APRIL 26, 2006]  A full council approved the new 2006-2007 fiscal year budget at last evening's adjourned Lincoln city business meeting. The $10,366,738 budget tops last year's $9,111,157 figure by $1,255,581.

Highlights of scheduled city improvements include the following:

• $2,155,825 -- Commerce park package, west-side commercial (Sysco and area) infrastructure development

• $5,000 -- Balloon fest

• $6,500 -- Heritage Days (Fourth of July holiday celebration)

• $30,000 -- Recycling plan development

• $15,000 -- Additional streetlight replacement or maintenance

• $7,000 -- Downtown lights, power

• $4,000 -- Sidewalk ramps

• $30,000 -- New curbs and gutters

• $2,000 -- Downtown bike route signs

• $7,000 -- Replace or maintain trees

• $125,000 -- Renovate City Hall-Lincoln Fire Department building

• $10,000 -- Demolition of hazardous buildings

• $43,000 -- Sidewalk maintenance and replacement costs; increased $10,000 over last year; includes $8,000 for downtown walks.

• $828,279 -- Street rehab projects; final phase Elm Street, maintenance of a large portion of older city streets with slurry coat

• $589,500 -- Motor Fuel Tax Fund expenditures include traffic signal completions or improvements at Lincoln Parkway and Fifth Street, and Woodlawn Road at Goody's; completion of downtown overlay; and $75,000 engineering fees for Fifth Street Road project, Lincoln Parkway to I-55, cooperative with Logan County

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