The budget proposed by Mayor Tommy Battle for the 2024 fiscal year again reflects Huntsville’s growth and its ongoing economic prosperity.

Driving the $312.8 million general fund budget is increased tax revenue and includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living pay raise for all eligible employees as well as almost $20 million dedicated to street resurfacing – a rough match of last year’s record earmark for road maintenance.

The city council will hold a work session Thursday at 5 p.m. to discuss Battle’s budget and likely make suggestions. The council is then expected to vote to approve the budget at its Sept. 28 meeting – two days before the 2024 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

“This budget recognizes the demands that our growing city presents and is designed to continue to meet the expectations of a fast-paced, progressive municipality,” Battle wrote in the budget cover letter. “It also allows for the flexibility to adapt to larger economic trends across the country.”

Here are five things to know about the proposed budget:

Your taxes

The city projects to bring in more than $512 million from seven revenues streams of taxes and fees in the 2023 fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. Beyond the population numbers, that’s perhaps the best indicator of Huntsville’s growth and financial well-being. Tax revenue has increased more than 55 percent since the 2018 fiscal year – a span that included the COVID pandemic.

Sales & use taxes make up 60 percent of the money collected in those seven revenue streams while property taxes account for 20.8 percent. The sales & use taxes indicate more people (via the growing population) are buying more goods in Huntsville.

The city says that sales & use taxes are allocated to support capital projects, Huntsville City Schools and city department operations while property taxes are directed to fund debt payments on city infrastructure as well as Huntsville school capital projects.

The budget projects more than $547 million taxes to be collected in the 2024 fiscal year.

Fund the police

The budget calls for police to receive a 5 percent increase in funding. Police department funding has increased from $55.8 million in 2022 to a proposed $72.6 million in 2024.

The police department is the largest department in the city with 831 authorized full-time positions in 2024, and accounting for 26.7 percent of the funding for the city’s 27 departments.

Next is fire & rescue, which accounts for 21 percent of funding for city departments. No other city department tops 7 percent.

Pave the roads

Perhaps nothing makes a council member happier than to approve funding to pave roads. In one of the city’s two capital improvement plans, about $19 million is included for road resurfacing. The money for the resurfacing largely comes from sales & use tax revenue.

The funding in the budget essentially matches last year’s record allocation for road maintenance.

Pay the help

It’s only half of what the city council approved last year but the budget includes a 2.5 percent pay increase for all eligible employees. This is on top of any merit or step raises an employee may receive.

Battle has included a cost-of-living-adjustment (or COLA) for employees in each budget since he has been mayor.

Aid the non-profits

Listed in the budget as “outside allocations,” the budget includes more than $13 million in funding for non-profit organizations and other entities across the city – an increase of almost $478,000.

This is the part of the budget that typically gets the most scrutiny from the city council. The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library receives the most assistance in the budget at $5.6 million. Madison County Jail operations is earmarked to receive $2.1 million.

Another $16.3 million is budgeted for “culture and tourism appropriations.” This includes about $7 million in capital and operating expenses for the city-owned Von Braun Center and $3.8 million for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.