The city of Covington passed its 2017 operating budget Nov. 22 with a generally positive outlook for 2017.

The city will operate on about a $55 million budget that maintains and adds additional services as the city continues to grow.

The 2017 general fund rings in at $17 million.

The street fund at $1.4 million. Fixing roads is always a financial puzzle for a city. Repairs and upgrades are expensive and stretching street dollars is a yearly challenge.

The city’s decision cards included $10,500 for the city’s 20th anniversary celebration which will be planned for 2017.

There was also a decision card for live streaming from the council chambers. That would include a one time cost of $2,750 and an ongoing payment of $200. It was left unfunded.

There is an expenditure of $62,000 for Jenkins Creek Park Master Plan.

The budget also included funds for two other parks in the city, $177,000 for Covington Community Park and $198,806 for the SoCo Park.

Another expenditure the city will be looking at down the road is adding more police officers as the population increases. The goal is to maintain a ratio of one officer per 1,000 residents.

A presentation during a budget workshop also stated that adding another office would help with the increase in retail space. It would also help provide “support for victims after initial police contact.”

The 2017 budget also includes funding to increase pay for all non-contract city employees as a cost of living adjustment.

This is set to go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2017.