Board approves next city budget

The Perryville Board of Aldermen held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2024-25 City of Perryville budget at the city council meeting on Feb. 21.
“Our budget is a little unusual in that we start on April1 and ends on March 31 the next year,” Perryville City Administrator Brent Buerck said. “We had the public presentation of the budget of which there were no comments. The next two meetings we will finalize and adopt it. It will then go into effect in April.”
Buerck went over some of the highlights in the budget.
The city will be hiring a second building inspector. Additional funds were added for hiring a second person to begin certification and training.
“We have a lot of projects coming up,” Buerck said. “We also want to add some strength to the team so that we do have a retirement, we have someone ready to step in.”
Buerck and his team is also working a rewrite of some of the zoning code.
“That probably hasn’t been done in 40 years,” Buerck said. “We are on the orginals and it should help with what housing restrictions should be and things like that.”
The city has allocated funds to repaint Perryville City Hall and Public Works if needed.
“We want to paint the outside of City Hall to make it all match,” Buerck said. “We have some new signs in front of City Hall at the intersection to better identify where people need to go to pay bills.”
A new van for employee travel . A new van is needed at the Perry Park Center so the current travel van will be transferred there.
The City recently ordered six new police cruisers and they need to be outfitted with radar equipment and mobile data terminals.
“They should arrive in April or May and be outfitted,” Buerck said.
The City will purchase a Cyclone Port Weather System. It allows for real time weather/lightning detection with a video feed. It will be used by Emergency Management in conjuction with park sporting events and community activities.
“It’s more accurate than just saying, that someone hears thunder,” Buerck said.
The City will look to repair hangars 4 and 7 at the at the Perryville Regional Airport.
“They haven’t really been touched since we took the airport back,” Buerck said.

The City will repair the runway at the airport. It is a carry over from 2023-2024.
“We have worked with the FAA on for several years,” Buerck said. “It should start in August and we will close it down completely and repair it.”
The City will replace the stage lighting in the theatre for plays and different events.
“It’s just at the end of its life,” Buerck said. “We will replace it with an LED system.”
Along with that, the City will also replace the sound system in the Park Center gym.
“The current system crackles and has background noise,” Buerck said.
The City will remodel the restrooms in the park at Shelter #110, commonly known as the Big Pavillion.
“We need to refresh that one like we did on Field 8,” Buerck said.
The City will complete construction on Field #5, which includes fencing, and duraedge surface.
“That should be the last field that we need to do this to,” Buerck said.
The City will also finish up the Lucas and Friends Playground’s Phase 2. The project was able to secure the grants needed.
The City will add a sidewalk from the Pickleball courts to a restroom and create a basketball court.
The City will reconstruct one of the two racquetball courts into weight room space and add a second floor conference room space.
The City will replace a stormwater pipe on Delaney Street that has been rusted out, as well as adjust a crown on the street at the same time.
The City will build out the interior of the lab and office space at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The City will redo the School Street Lift Station and connect it to the trunk line to transport the waste to the plant.