ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The mood of the meeting was flat, and the budget was flatter as the Robertsdale City Council approved a $13,688,520 budget for fiscal 2009.

“As far as our revenues go, it was a pretty flat year,” Chief Financial Officer Ann Simpson told the Council. That means that the budget for next year had to be as flat. Or flatter. The total budget for the city is $13,688,520 and the surplus is $134,894, according to Simpson.

“As people have left for one reason or another, we have not replaced them,” said Simpson. She added that the Senior Citizen’s center “lost” an employee last year, who has not been replaced.

She said the declining real estate market, with the concurrent lack of fees and payments have made the once buoyant budget level off this year.

Even maturing obligations such as loans for the purchase of video equipment, a digger truck, the “Dicky Property,” and a “Ditch Witch Trencher,” have been taking into account in the budget, Simpson added. Those items account for payments of about $8,330.69 per month, out of a total of $104,818.79.

One of the big decreases in revenue is on the line labeled “liquor tax.” The line item was budgeted in 2008 for $45,000 and only $10,000 in the 2009 budget.

“We decreased that substantially because the ABC store is going in,” said Simpson.

On the expense side, Simpson told the Council that health insurance for city workers was going up about 6 1/2 percent. City employees now pay about $225 per month for a family health insurance plan, after the city pays about 59 percent of the family coverage.

“The city will cover all of that increase,” said Simpson. Covering a portion of health insurance began “about three years ago” said Simpson.

“I don’t have a lot of turnover,” said Simpson, “ but the one thing I heard when we were losing employees, they were going to other municipalities because they were paying all of their insurance.”

Going through the budget, Simpson reported that the Police Department, Fire Department Recreation Department and Street Department were pretty much “flat” this year, with few or no capital expenditures.

Hurricane coverage has been removed form most budgets.

“Ann (Simpson) has contacted banks with branches in the city asking them about what it would cost for a $2 million line of credit,” said Mayor Charles Murphy. “It’s like a home loan. If you don’t use it, it does not cost you. But, I can tell you it takes two years to get money from FEMA.”

The lack of capital expenditures in the police department concerned some council members

“We bought four cars last year, so we are pretty much set,” said Police Chief Brad Kendrick.

“Now in two years, we will have to replace vehicles,” he cautioned, explaining that the force tries to replace a few cars a year. “I don’t want to get behind.”

Kendrick also told the Council that the traffic abound Robertsdale Elementary School will be rerouted. Currently, the new school is feeling a traffic pinch.

“We are rerouting the buses and car riders,” Kendrick said. “We are hoping for a smooth transition.”

In other matters, the Council:

— Named Kendrick to a grievance committee.

— Voted to consider a proposal for more sidewalks from Tim Ramsden of CDG Engineers.

Voted to pay just over $81,000 in bills for the new Chamber of Commerce building.