The Mobridge City Council submitted a 2011 budget for the first reading at a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 31.

The submitted budget will be presented at the council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 7 for the first reading.

The budget includes a three percent raise for city employees and a two percent cut from general fund line items (except salaries, benefits and insurance).

The 11.39 percent increase in the cost of insuring city employees was offset by an increase in deductibles from $1,500 for single and $3,000 for family to $2,500 and $5,000 respectively.

Mobridge Chief Finance Officer Heather Beck told the council she underestimated the revenues in order to keep the budget under what was budgeted in 2010. She said she hoped the revenues come in higher than projected.

Christine Martin Goldsmith, Director of the North central South Dakota Economic Development, commended the council on keeping the budget in line with their list of priorities for the city. She pointed out that nearly every one of the priorities was addressed in the budget.

Councilman Dennis Wheeler told the group that the only priority on the list that was not addressed in the budget was the Dakota Expressway, a organized effort to encourage the state to expand U.S. Highway 12 to make it a four lane from Aberdeen to Mobridge.

He said the project has been put on hold until “things get straightened out in Washington.” He said the project has not been abandoned and the expressway is still important to the area.

Martin Goldsmith told the group there was a wind turbine manufacturing company interested in building a manufacturing plant in Mobridge, but because there was no four-lane highway here, the community could not compete for the factory.

She then told the group that because Mobridge leaders are planning ahead, the community landed funding for four new single-family homes in Mobridge. She told when the funding opened up to the entire state Mobridge was chosen to receive funding because the community had laid the groundwork for such a project.

Mobridge Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cindy Melcher reported the projected budget for the Chamber was also cut from last year, including a cut in the advertising budget. She projected revenues were down in part due to members who have not paid dues or have not renewed their memberships.

Wheeler said he is concerned about lack of retail support for the Chamber as the staff works hard to bring events to the community that brings outside dollars into the community. Without these events the retail community would not have the revenue from outside sources, he told the group.

Mobridge Rodeo Association President Bruce Brekke told the group the association would be seeking outside funding to replace the grandstand area of the Mobridge Rodeo Grounds in the near future. He said the organization is currently working with HKG and Associates of Aberdeen in a plan for the new grandstand.

He said they will try to find grants to help with the project.

Mayor Kyle Jensen told the group that he felt the budget was fair and although the Mobridge Police Department probably took the largest cuts in the budget, the other cuts did not hurt the city “too much.”

“Looking at the people in this room, I can’t imagine how Mobridge can’t be a successful community,” he said. 

The approved budget will appear in the Legals section of the Tribune when the council has approved the budget in September.

--Katie Zerr