ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- The Robertsdale City Council unanimously approved a balanced budget for 2012-13 at its meeting Monday night with revenues and expenses of over $15 million.

The Council met with Chief Financial Officer Ann Simpson on Monday, which took up almost all of an extended hour and a half-long work session, to go over the next year’s budget, set to go into effect Oct. 1.

Total revenues for 2012-13 have been estimated at $15,811.920 with expenses of $14,515,107 and debt expenses of $1,087,951, leaving a projected surplus of $121,864.

Deficits of just under $1.5 million in the general fund and just under $20,000 in the city’s gas fund are balanced by a surplus of nearly $2 million in the city’s electrical fund; $625,000 in the water fund and nearly $235,000 in the sewer fund.

The overall budget reflects a slight increase in projected revenues and expenses in 2011-12 with total projected revenues of $15,131,589 a difference of $680,331; and projected expenses for 2011-12 of $14,022,929, or a difference of $492,815. Actual revenues for the 2010-11 budget totaled $14,645,148 or a projected increase in revenues of $1,166,772 for 2012-13; with expenses totaling $14,061,139 for 2010-11, $453,968 less than projected expenses for 2012-13.

Projected revenues in the general fund total $4,802,920 for 2012-13 with expenses of $6,283,916. Electrical fund revenues are projected at $8,339,500 with expenses of $6,401,264. Gas fund revenues are projected at $166,000 with expenses of $185,000; and water fund revenues are estimated at $1,425,000 with expenses of $799,442; and sewer fund revenues of $1,078,500 and expenses of $844,738.

General fund revenues include collected taxes, license and permit fees, and rental revenues with the largest being a projected $1,650,000 in collected sales taxes.

Expenses include general government expenses, plus expenses for the police, fire, street, shop, engineering, sanitation, recreation, library, court, senior citizens, tree/beautification, animal control, and PZK Civic Center.

Projected revenues for the city’s electrical and sewer departments reflect a planned increase in rates, Simpson. No rate increases are planned for the city’s water and garbage rates.

Capital projected planned for 2012-13 include:

— A UHF digital radio system for the city’s police department with a projected cost of $110,000. All emergency response departments in Baldwin County are required to install digital radio system’s in 2013.

— A garbage truck for the city’s sanitation department at a cost of $140,000, which the city plans to finance on a four-year rotating schedule. The city plans to sell one garbage truck which will reach the end of the four-year financing period this year.

— Construction of tennis courts at Robertsdale High School. This is a joint project with the Baldwin County Board of Education with the city’s part of the agreement totalling $100,000, part of which will be purchased with $35,000 in grant funds. The rest will be financed.

— Renovations to the city’s PZK Civic Center with a projected cost of $300,000, funded in part by a $100,000 grant with the balanced to be financed.

— Painting projects for the city’s water tank system with a projected cost of $150,000.

The 2012-13 budget was passed unanimously during Monday’s meeting with all council members present.

In other business Monday, following a lengthy discussion during the regular meeting, the council passed Ordinance 005-12, adopting the 2012 International Business Codes.

Mike Howell with the Baldwin County Building Department told council members at Monday’s meeting that the Baldwin County Commission voted in January to adopt the 2012 International Building Codes and urged all municipalities in Baldwin County to follow suit.

“We felt it was important that we all be on the same page with this,” he said. “To my knowledge Baldwin County is one of the first county’s in the state to pass the new International codes and we want to set an example for the rest of the state.”

Robertsdale’s adoption of the codes at Monday’s meeting marked the 10th of the county’s 15 municipalities to adopt the new codes, Howell said. Foley is the only city so far that has expressed an interest in staying with the 2009 codes for now, he said.

“Codes cycle every three years so it is our hope that they will adopt the new codes, possibly sooner if they decided to succumb to peer pressure,” he said.

Before adopting the 2012 codes Robertsdale was operating under the 2006 International Building Codes, which were adopted by the city in 2009, said City Building Inspector David Kilcrease. Before that the city was operating under 1997 building codes.

“I have a situation right now where repair is being done on a house built when we were operating under the 1997 codes,” Kilcrease said. “Even though I inspected the house at the time, all I can do now is go back and see that we were operating under those codes and therefore I can’t guarantee that it was built to a higher standard. That’s something you’re going to run into if we don’t adopt the 2012 codes.”

Insurance is one of the biggest reasons for adopting the new codes, Howell said.

“Every area operates under an ISO rating,” he said. “Ten to 15 years ago, fire protection was a really big factor in determining the codes. Now, they’re looking really closely at the building codes and if we’re not operating under the new codes, insurance rates will most likely go up.”

Despite some opposition expressed during the meeting, the measure passed unanimously Monday.

“I’m all for saving the citizens of Robertsdale money and I want to do right by them,” said Council member Paul Hollingsworth. “I’m also for government not telling people what to do. I think if we have the codes and present the information to people who are building a home, then it should be up to them to decide what codes they use.”

In other business Monday, the Council:

— Voted to provide police protection for the Baldwin County Trailblazers and Foley Lions Club annual LeTour de Foley which will be held Oct. 13, part of which will ride through the Robertsdale City Limits, but decided not to give a monetary donation to the group.

— Set a meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 18 at noon at the Robertsdale Library to canvass the Sept. 11 municipal elections.

— Voted to appoint Karen Bill and Sherri Manley to the city’s Industrial Development Board.

— Voted to approve two Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program projects.

— Voted to abandon the helipad located off of U.S. Highway 90 in front of the police station.

— Voted to donate $1,000 to the Central Baldwin Youth Football League.