Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen presented his 2021 budget plans to the Noblesville Common Council during an Aug. 11 public work session.
Jensen’s plans for the budget includes no increase from 2020. It has four guiding principles, including: no increase in the overall city budget compared to the 2020 city budget, no citywide yearly salary increases, no health insurance premium increases for employees and no new city positions except the four positions previously created to continue the implementation of the public safety priority, NobleAct.
“Given the changing economic standpoint, we need to maintain our optimism while being cautious with our budget,” Jensen stated. “The goal is to maintain sufficient cash reserves, while continuing our ability to invest in the city’s future. This fiscal plan will set us up for success in the future while keeping appropriate dollars to invest back into our community.”
In the spring, Jensen directed city departments to identify expenditures that could be deferred or decreased so that more money could be reverted to the general fund at the end of the year, which resulted in $1.3 million in reversions. The city has not had to make any employment cuts due to the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Noblesville is fortunate to have a healthy Rainy-Day Fund and cash reserves, accumulated through many years of growth in assessed valuation and prudent management of public funds,” Deputy Mayor Matt Light stated. “We believe that with a conservative budgeting strategy for 2021 and continued efforts to right size and realign, we can reach a position in the near future where we can make the bold investments in Noblesville’s future in ways we had envisioned before we faced a global pandemic.”
The proposed 2021 budget will be presented to the Noblesville Common Council at its Sept. 15 meeting for further discussion. For more, visit cityofnoblesville.org.
