Priorities for 2009 will top St. Ignace City Council's agenda when it meets for the first time in the new year Monday, January 5, in a meeting that City Manager Eric Dodson said will define "The State of the City."

New projects are planned for the city, including park improvements and ordinance changes. According to the 2009 budget adopted by Council last month, the city wants to put more money into its recreation programs, focus on street maintenance with less state funding while postponing sidewalk repairs this year, increase the energy efficiency at City Hall, and solve a problem that's drawing flocks of birds to the lakeshore near the airport.

Residents will be able to enjoy planned improvements to Dock Three this year after the light poles are replaced, the peeling car ferry railing is repainted, landscaping is improved, and benches are replaced.

High winds have bent the poles of the 11 lights lining the dock.

"It looks awful," said Mr. Dodson. "They are not even on at night."

The city leases the dock to Arnold Transit Company for $20,000 a year, with the least expiring 2012. The lease revenue captured by the city is earmarked for dock maintenance and improvement.

The lease increases each year based on the Consumer Price Index. The company ships freight between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island from the dock. The lease was renewed in 2008 at the new rate; previously the company paid $18,000 annually.

The city has budgeted a $20,000 increase in spending to $40,000, up from $20,000 in 2008.

Until now, Mr. Dodson said, Council has discussed yearly projects as they came up. That process usually resulted in last-minute delays and, with a 270-page budget, items easily can be overlooked. Now he wants to give city leaders and residents an overview for the next 12 months.

"These are all the things we envision for the next year," he said. "If they have a problem with any of these things, we can talk about them early."

He hopes looking ahead at the year, along with new monthly updates on the budget, will address Council's request for improved communication during his performance evaluation in October,

"I want to make sure it is out there right away," he said, "so we can work together and to communicate a little more."

Mr. Dodson was been city manager since January 2006.

Monday's discussion also will include the wastewater outflow pipe into Lake Huron near the end of the Mackinac County Airport runway. The warm flow attracts fish, which draw flocks of birds, said Mr. Dodson, and they present a potential hazard to airplanes.

In a good year, about 17,000 passengers travel through the airport.

Within the next month, he said, the city will seek proposals for an engineering feasibility study on what can be done to eliminate the problem. The city also seeks funding.

"All I know is that the water needs to be colder than it is now," said Mr. Dodson. He said the solution could be extending the pipe out a quarter-mile from where it now is.

For the 2009 budget, city council expenses have been reduced by 14%, or $4,100, from $28,500 to $24,400. The reduction includes money for conferences. Other areas that are budged through the city council are ordinance amendments, and changes planned for 2009 include updates to the housing maintenance and wind turbine codes, and the city will also try to identify and remove antiquated ordinances.

City Hall and grounds expenses are up 14.3% for 2009. City Hall's windows, installed in 1936, are not heat efficient, Mr. Dodson said, and the building's steam heating system also needs to be reviewed, so the city will apply for grants to audit the energy efficiency at City Hall, Little Bear East, and the water and sewer plants.

"It's either hot or cold in City Hall," he said. "We don't have a medium. I know we're wasting energy here."

The city financial audit will cost $24,000, which is $1,500 less than what was budgeted in 2008. City auditors are Rehmann, Robson of Cheboygan. The accountants usually are at City Hall in March, although this year, the city would like to get the audit process underway in February, said Mr. Dodson.

The city has budgeted $3,000 for parking lot enforcement, which is about 34% less than last year's $4,500 allocation. The city now uses a college student as the parking meter attendant. The student works a shorter season. In past years, the police department secretary performed the work.

Only emergency work will be done on city sidewalks this year. Sidewalks are not a priority for 2009, although they will be considered in 2010.

The sidewalk budget is 50% less than 2008, down $1,940 from $3,850. If a resident requests sidewalk work, said Mr. Dodson, they will pay for it if the cement slab has lifted less than two inches.

"If it's less than two inches, the courts have upheld it is government immunity. You can't sue if you trip over it," he said. "It's a nuance you can see, open and obvious. If it's more than that, then they say the community is neglectful to not care for their sidewalks."

Street lighting costs will increase by 13.3%, from $30,000 to $34,000, for lights other than those in the downtown development district. This includes increases in the cost of electricity, Mr. Dodson said.

The use of a county jail inmate work crew will reduce labor costs for park maintenance. The city pays $6 a day per inmate for jail labor.

For 2009, the city is budgeting an increase in major street maintenance of $16,060, from $241,950 to $258,010, or 6.6%. The increase is a result of the city trying to maintain a basic level of snow plowing in the wake of falling state funding. The state has reduced its financial support by about 9.5%. Major streets are state trunklines in the city limits, such as the I-75 Business Loop.

Increased costs and a drop in state money also are impacting the local street fund. The city is projecting it will cost $19,640 more this year, up to $127,100 from $107,460, or 18.3%.

"Costs are going up and funding from other sources is going down," said Mr. Dodson. "Without the funding from other sources, we've had to use our own funds to pick up the slack."

The increasing demand on the city to pay for snow plowing and road maintenance was the focus of City Council millage discussions in November and December. In December, Council transferred about $30,000 into the major streets fund to cover a deficit.

The library fund will increase by 17%, or $14,810, from $87,120 to $101,930. The increase includes costs for salaries, utilities, and publishing the book "St. Ignace," which contains historical photographs of the town. Revenue from sales of the book are expected to offset the budget increase by the end of the year.

Cemetery funds are up 19.3%, from $8,050 to $9,600, and include maintenance of the grounds. Revenue for the cemeteries is based on the number of graves each year. The fund is part of the state-mandated deficit elimination plan because it has been operating at a deficit. The city also has increased cemetery fees.

The city is taking on additional debt of $3.7 million for work ordered by the Department of Environmental Quality for improvements needed at the city's wastewater treatment facilities. The project is being funded by a 20-year loan from the Michigan Clean Water State Revolving Fund. A $300,000 grant paid for design and planning. The city's loan payments will increase by 31.4%, from $272,688 to $358,280.

About 5.3% less has been budgeted for the Department of Public Works, from $110,140 to $104,850. The drop relates to a vacant position that will not be filled.

At its January 5 meeting, Council will receive a 2009 recreation report from the recreation director, Scott Marshall.

Council approved an increase of 25.2% for the recreation budget, which includes the cost of new events and improvements to ventilation in the swimming pool enclosure near LaSalle High School. The budget has increased $31,665, from $125,815 to $157,480. The city hopes that revenue earned from the new events, like wrestling and dodgeball tournaments, will offset the projected recreation expenses.

"I think that the general goal of having something going on at Little Bear all of the time is being realized," Mr. Dodson said. "I think things are going to look up. I've already seen it in six months. His [Mr. Marshall] 13-hour days are starting to pay off already."

Work on a ski lift at the Doc Holle Silver Mountain Ski Hill contributes to an increase of $1,580, or 4.6%, in the budget, up from $34,100 to $35,680. Weather conditions determine the revenue received at the facility each season, said Mr. Dodson, and when it can be open. This year, the ski hill began operating the third weekend in December.

"We're just trying to do more, with less," he said. "It's kind of tough."