Grandview Heights City Council's finance committee Monday began its review of the proposed city budget for 2010.

The administration has proposed a general fund operating budget of $9,920,324, which is 5.4 percent ($508,622) higher than the adjusted 2009 budget.

The budget proposal includes the addition of a new maintenance worker position for the service department, a new intern position for finance, changing a full time position in administration to an intern post and adding a new fire medic position.

The new fire medic person would primarily be responsible for conducting fire inspections, but would also be available to fill in regular fire duty when needed, Fire Chief Steve Shaner said.

"This will put the department back to (its) 2004 staffing levels," Mayor Ray DeGraw said, except that the new position will not be an assistant fire chief.

The arrangement would help reduce the fire department's reliance and spending on overtime, Shaner said.

"Overtime is always a long-term issue," he said.

At the Nov. 2 city council meeting, a resident asked whether the city could contract out for fire inspection duties.

At Monday's meeting, Shaner told the committee that contracting out for a fire inspector would not allow the department to create the "dual capacity" position that could handle both fire inspections and regular fire medic duty.

Council member Steve Von Jasinski asked if there is a prohibition against charging businesses for fire inspections.

Shaner said he does not believe there is any regulation that would prohibit the city from charging for inspections.

"I could see charging a fee if it's a re-inspection," DeGraw said.

In essence, that kind of set-up could provide a business an incentive for maintaining its building up to code.

Finance committee chair Anthony Panzera said he has been getting feedback from the community about the proposal to add the fire medic position.

"We'll have to justify and challenge this request and look at possible solutions" before the additional position can be approved, he said.

The budget includes a retirement payout for one fire position.

A 10-hour a week support position is also requested for the fire department.

Building department secretary Gayna Gilbert currently spends two afternoons a week working at the fire department, DeGraw said, and the new support position would allow her to focus entirely on her duties for the building department, which has seen an increased workload.

The additional maintenance position would reduce the strain on service department staff and allow the city to complete work that is being left undone, he said.

The city is going to advertise the service director's position, which has been vacant since Sam Troiano retired, DeGraw said. The position has been revamped and its duties expanded.

The four new positions would tally $109,000 of the $508,622 increase to the budget.

Another major impact on the budget is the increased cost of health insurance, DeGraw said.

The administration is budgeting a 15 percent increase in health insurance payments totaling about $117,000. Employee health care pick up will increase from 8 to 10 percent.

The city is looking for ways it can try to reduce the spiraling costs of health insurance, DeGraw said.

Robert Dvoraczky, director of finance, presented the committee with projections of general fund revenue for 2010.

The 2009 beginning budget projected $8,481,318 in general fund revenue. The 2010 beginning budget projects $8,524,917 in revenue.

It is expected that at year's end, the general fund revenues for 2009 will total $8,557,791.

The 2010 projection does not include an estimated $150,000 in construction income tax revenue projected for the Grandview Yard project, Dvoraczky said.

Panzera suggested it would be wise to anticipate the actual amount of construction revenue the city will receive will be less, perhaps two-thirds of the projected amount.

"I don't want that full amount to be a decision making factor in the budget process because I don't know if we'll get that full amount," he said.