Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Mayor Wild's proposed 2020/21 $72 Million budget heavily focused on public safety, infrastructure and unfunded pension obligations

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Mayor Wild's Proposed 2020/21 $72 Million Budget Heavily Focused on Public Safety, Infrastructure and Unfunded Pension Obligations

Westland, MI (April 20, 2020) - On Monday, April 13, Mayor William R. Wild presented the Westland City Council with a $72 million balanced budget proposal for fiscal year 2020-21. The budget adds approximately $60,000 to the General Fund unassigned balance, preserving a "rainy day" fund balance at approximately $5.7 million.

Highlights of proposed budget include an overall taxable value increase of 4.18% and a provision for the City's match for 13 Federally funded SAFER Grant Firefighters, a plan to offer retirement eligible Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik a 5yr DROP to continue his employment, and funds to restart the City's Curbside Recycling Program.

The budget also includes an additional payment of $500,000 above costs, to lower the city's unfunded retiree healthcare (OPEB) liability. An additional $150,000 has also been allocated to offer cash incentives to retirees to discontinue the City's healthcare coverage.

The budget allocates planned infrastructure expenditures of $5.3 million for the City's major and local roads throughout the City. The budget also includes approximately $3.6 million to fund planned water & sewer capital projects. Provisions were also made for an additional $1 million in capital improvements, including a new fire rescue vehicle, roof repairs at the DPS building, and parking lot improvements at the 18th District Court.

In addition, the proposed budget includes several structural changes for central service department allocations to align with a 3rd party, independent report commissioned by the city in 2019. The City of Westland is also proposing to issue bonds, in accordance with Public Act 575 of 2018, to fully fund the City's MERS Pension Plan. Taking advantage of historically low interest rates, the proposed bond sale would effectively fund and close the City's pension plan for general employees and lower current expenditures by an estimated $1.1 million in the current year and $68 million over the next 16 years.

The City of Westland will be holding virtual budget study sessions on:

Saturday, April 25, 2020 from 10 am - 2 pm

Saturday, May 2, 2020 from 10 am - 2 pm

*Times are subject to deviation. Information on how the public can attend these virtual meetings along with the 2020.2021 budget proposal are available on www.cityofwestland.com

"The City's Finance Team has worked very hard on this year's budget proposal," commented Mayor Wild. "This proposed conservative budget allows for continued improvements to the City's infrastructure, increases public safety and makes significant progress towards lowering unfunded pension and retiree healthcare obligation."

For more information, please call (734) 467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.