Council Unanimously Passes 2017 Budget
Sep 27th, 2016
Posted in: General News
Today the City Council unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget for the City of Mobile. Top priorities for the Council included adopting the proposed pay raises for Mobile Police, Firefighters and maintaining level funding for the city’s tourism efforts.
“This budget will ensure all the positive progress we have made will continue,” said Council President Gina Gregory. “Mobile’s momentum will roll on.”
Under the new budget, eligible department officials will receive a $5,000 pay raise and 2.5% pay equity adjustment for every five years of service to a maximum of 20 years.
Visit Mobile, which leads the city’s tourism efforts, will receive level funding under the new budget. The group’s work promoting the City on the regional and national stage has resulted in a record number of visitors and conventions coming to Mobile.
In 2015 Mobile experienced over 3 million visitors including 90 conventions which generated nearly $3 million in revenue for the 2016 Fiscal Year operating budget. It also generated over $1.5 million in County lodging tax revenue that went towards the Mobile County budget. In addition, indirectly, an estimated 16,000 people work at Mobile businesses that benefit from Visit Mobile’s tourism efforts.
The budget also provides funding for the African American Heritage Trail of Mobile and Move Mobile, a youth program. The trail notes and celebrates Mobile’s rich history.
After Councilman Levon Manzie urged his colleagues and the Administration to create a youth services program that would focus on creating summer jobs for young people throughout the community, Mayor Stimpson announced the new initiative.
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