Oak Ridge city manager to present proposed budget May 21

Donna Smith, The Oak Ridger

Budgets are the focus this week in local government, as City Manager Randy Hemann will present his first proposed budget to Oak Ridge City Council and the city Board of Education is set to possibly give its final approval to a new budget that includes a 2.5% pay raise for all employees.

Hemann will present his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year at the city council work session set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the Municipal Building courtroom, 200 S. Tulane Ave. The city manager began leading the city last November after longtime manager Mark Watson retired.

Randy Hemann
Randy Hemann

On Monday, May 20, the Oak Ridge School Board meets for at 5 p.m. its monthly meeting in the School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Included in the meeting will be a second reading and final approval - if the school board chooses - of the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The board approved the budget on first reading at a special called meeting on May 13.

The proposed Oak Ridge Schools' budget and Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers 26-page summary can be viewed at https://www.ortn.edu/fy-25-ors-proposed-budget/.

The $84.3 million budget proposal for Oak Ridge Schools includes the 2.5% pay increase for all employees, step increases based on experience and educational degree for all eligible employees, and the addition of 6.5 more positions.

If approved by School Board Monday night, the budget will be sent to city government on Tuesday.

Other meetings scheduled in connection to the city budget:

  • 7 p.m. June 3, first reading and first approval of the city's Fiscal Year 2025 budget

  • 7 p.m. June 10, second reading and possible final approval of the budget.

Both meetings of city council will be held in the Municipal Building courtroom.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed. Correspondent Carolyn Krause contributed to this story.

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This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge city manager to present proposed budget Tuesday

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