[09/03/03] Vicksburg officials approved a $27.2 million spending plan Tuesday and changed their minds about how community organizations will be funded by the city.

The plan for the budget year starting Oct. 1 reduces spending by about 11 percent and anticipates an increase in water and sewer rates. It keeps tax rates level.

And, instead of reducing funding for several outside groups by 25 percent, the plan sets aside a pool of money for which they may compete.

“We’re not going to allocate one penny unless you come before us and justify how you spend every penny,” said Mayor Laurence Leyens.

Groups the city had identified as charities include the 807 Clinic, Haven House, The Initiative and the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation. The clinic was founded by the city and county to offer education about and treatment services for HIV and AIDS, and The Initiative is a city project that helps single parents go to school, get jobs and leave welfare roles. Haven House operates women’s and family shelters for the homeless and victims of abuse, and the SCHF offers arts and local history programming in the city-owned former St. Francis Convent complex.

Bess Averett, assistant director of SCHF, was the first to accept the city’s plan appearing at Tuesday’s meeting to ask the board for $9,244 to match grant funding for an after-school art and music program. The city board took the request under advisement. This year the SCHF was allocated $35,000 in the budget, but nothing had been budgeted for the year starting Oct. 1.

Lark Johnson, director of Haven House, which saw their proposed funding reduced from $21,000 this year to $18,750 next year, said it was easy to justify the need for that money. The shelter for battered women and children uses the city’s allocation to match federal grants that bring in about $200,000 each year, she said.

“We really stretch all of those funds and in-kind services. We can turn your dollar into three dollars,” Johnson said.

Annette Kuz, vice president of the Haven House board of directors, also said that city funding for the shelter helps save costs in other areas such as law enforcement and the justice system. She also said that in poor economic times people have less to donate to charities making the city’s funding that much more important.

“If we don’t have steady economic support then we will have to shut down,” Kuz said.

Overall, city officials set aside $306,011 or 1.1 percent for all outside agencies, about $51,500 more than what had been proposed at last week’s budget hearing, but 11 percent less than this year.

Although tax rates remain level, the city’s income will rise by virtue of those rates due to inflation, new development and higher property valuations. The overall drop in city spending is due to a lesser reliance on reserves plus higher rates for utilities that will reduce subsidies from the general fund.

Officials have not publicly discussed details about plans to raise water and gas rates, but said they will do that at the next board meeting. Last week, they said there will likely be an 11 percent hike in water rates and a 15 percent increase in gas.

In other matters the city board:

Received two bids for a 3,000-square-foot expansion at the Kings Community Center. One bid, from Dirtworks Inc., of Vicksburg, at $164,500 was under the city’s budgeted estimate.

Received a bid to install 70 benches along downtown Washington Street for $41,888 or $600 per bench. Plans had included the benches in current reconstruction along Washington Street, but officials said the cost was about $100,000 to have the work done by the contractor.

Accepted a petition from the Carlton Place Homeowner’s Association to vacate portions of the right-of-way back to the neighborhood.

Approved a change order to basement renovations at the Vicksburg Convention Center. Leyens abstained from the 2-0 vote and said he was not familiar with the plans.

Approved advertisement by the Vicksburg Main Street Program on Greenville television station WXVT.

Awarded refinancing a lease purchase agreement for two ambulances to BancorpSouth Bank.

Approved the claims docket.

The city board will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall Annex.