The City Council approved a budget Sept. 20 for fiscal year 2016-17 with total budget expenditures of $17 million.

In approving the budget the council established a new $6.4 million project fund dedicated to the city’s effort to develop and build new permanent facilities for its police and public works departments, which currently operate in portable buildings. 

A revised cost estimate reduced the total construction cost of the city facilities project by $550,000, according to city documents.

Following a public hearing on the budget, city staff made several changes to the original proposed budget, such as allocating $20,000 for a trail near Toney Burger Center and allocating $15,000 for police department security upgrades.