A conservative-minded budget awaits the City of Elizabethton for the upcoming fiscal year.

Elizabethton City Council met in a called meeting Monday afternoon and approved the 2018-19 fiscal year budget through its second and final reading. Council also approved the upcoming  fiscal year budget for Elizabethton City Schools. Both budgets will take effect July 1.

The 2018-19 city budget passed unanimously with those in attendance. Sam Shipley made the motion, pending $50,000 budgeted for crosswalks on E Street be moved to the city’s sidewalk fund. Shipley stated during the meeting that the idea was brought up due to the work being merely “cosmetic” and “serves no real purpose.”

The motion was seconded by Wes Frazier. Frazier, Shipley, Jeff Treadway, Kim Birchfield, Bill Carter and Mayor Curt Alexander voted aye for the passage. Councilman Richard Tester was absent from the meeting.

A welcomed sight for city residents is that the property tax rate will remain at $1.79 for the new budget. Monday’s passed budget was the last present Jerome Kitchens, former city manager, left for Council. The conservative nature of the budget was due to the financial trend notice over the years, according to Kitchens’ memo provided to Council prior to his retirement.

A variety of projects are also on the docket for the coming year. Bond proceeds will help fund a variety of projects, including work for Elizabethton Police Department ($1,016,026), police equipment ($140,000), Elizabethton Fire Department and equipment ($254,000), City Hall parking lot ($80,000), Bonnie Kate Theater renovations ($152,404), Elizabethton Golf Course ($304,808), Covered Bridge Park work from Appalachian State University study ($203,208), a sports complex ($254,010) and other community projects being tagged with a $284,926 allocation.

The fund balance also has over $720,000 budgeted for planned capital projects, including $141,000 for police cars, $140,000 for the last stretch of downtown canopies work, $100,000 now for sidewalk work, $49,827 for guardrails on West G Street and a variety of other projects, including new playground equipment at Kiwanis Park and a new facade program that can be utilized by downtown businesses.

The proposed appropriations for the new budget is $18,956,917 while the proposed funds available for the new budget is $22,034,440.

Council also unanimously passed the school system’s budget. Shipley made the motion, which was then seconded by Treadway. All council members voted in favor of the passage.

According to information provided by Central Office, the estimated 2018-19 general fund is proposed at $22,879,354 — a $380,735 increase from the previous year. The federal projects’ fund is currently budgeted at $1,698,509. In the report, Finance Director Beth Wilson indicated on the proposed budget that the decrease is due to the “timing of competitive grant awards” and that the budget would be amended after any grants were to be awarded.

Some of the highlights of the proposed budget includes all certified and classified staff members receiving a step increase, if eligible.

ECS will pay 100 percent of individual medical insurance premiums for full-time employees “electing the Standard, Limited and CDHP Options” while all other levels of coverage would be funded like the 2018 calendar.