ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The Robertsdale City Council met early Tuesday so the council and city administration could go over the 2010 city budget. All members of the council were present.

According to chief financial officer Shannon Ellison, the “Reader’s Digest version” of the budget shows the city with a slim surplus of $84,126 for next year. The city is projected to have revenues of $14,604,610 from taxes, electrical, sewer and water fees, and expenses of $13,255,861. Payment of debt expenses totals $1,264.622.

“We are pretty lean this year,” said Mayor Charles Murphy.

The bright spot for city departments came from “impact fees.” According to Finance Director Ann Simpson, the city began collecting the fees on new construction in April 2008.

“We agreed to spend the money every two years,” Simpson said.

The police department will receive $3,500 for “police-related apparatus and equipment” and the Fire Department will receive $3,250 to purchase equipment. The Recreation Department will get $9675 for equipment, and the library will get receive $3,286 for “new books, periodicals and multimedia.”

Answering a query from council member Paul Hollingsworth, Simpson explained that the money was divided up using a formula from the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission.

The only new purchases that will come directly from taxes are a new truck for the Electrical Department and new bucket truck for the same department.

“The bucket truck is actually sa safety hazard,” explained Murphy, adding that the gear on the truck is too heavy and it is affecting the truck’s structure.

While $180,000 has been budgeted for the purchase of the new bucket truck, Scott Gilbert, the city’s Public Works director, said that it may be possible to convert the old truck to another use, and the new truck may not cost as much as was budgeted for it.

“We might be able to put a chipper on it,” said Gilbert, referring to the older truck.

For the second straight year, no new police cars were in the city budget, council member Joseph Kitchens noted.

“We can go one more year,” said Police Chief Brad Kendrick.

One of the bright spots in the budget comes from an agreement between Robertsdale and the Town of Loxley to house Loxley’s prisoners. Revenue for “jail charges” is projected to be $42,000, up from $25,000 last year. The increase comes from the agreement between the two towns entering a full year this year.

About $9,000 in increases comes from state-mandated raises in the employee insurance program and the employee retirement programs. Simpson explained that the city, not city employees, have absorbed the increase.

“That really constitutes a raise,” said Kitchens, asking city officials to remind employees of this fact.

Another budget increase of $4,000 over last budget year, came for the maintenance of the post office on U.S. Highway 90.

Overall, the council hoped that business would improve in 2010 to improve the budget figures.

During the regular council meeting, the council:

— Voted to send a letter thanking the First Assembly of God and its pastor Michael D. Lynn for the handsome and comfortable maroon chairs that now grace the council chambers. The church had to order new chairs for its just-built sanctuary and donated the unneeded furniture to the city.

“They give the room color,” said council member Sue Cooper.

“They are in such great shape because we never sit down in church,” joked Gilbert, a member of the congregation.

— Gilbert also told the council the much of the work on the city’s second sewer “clarifier” was done. The council also voted to pay Stuart Contracting Company $46,494.90 in construction costs for the clarifiers.

— Voted voted to give $1,000 to the Robertsdale High basketball team. The team will be sponsoring a basketball tournament in December.

— The council was to hear from Sonny Hankins about the Baldwin County Fair. Hankins was not present at the meeting, and the mayor and council believe that he would have asked to use the city’s electronic sign to promote the event. The council gave unanimous permission for that.