The City Council held a second Budget Hearing on September 8, 2015. The first Hearing was held on September 2nd, but the Council postponed a decision on the budget after legal questions were brought forward about the budget and Mayor Pro Tempore admitted he made up the numbers in the budget without researching them.
Related: Budget Hearing Ends Without Acceptance
The budget available at the meeting was the same as the budget given at the September 2nd meeting, however an additional page was attached to show information that was originally missing, such as the amount of money the city currently has and the amount of debt the city owes.
During the meeting, the City Council changed items on the budget as well as the allotted expenditures the items were given.
Sales tax revenue was increased from $7,500 to $57,000.
The City Marshal’s salary was increased from $30k to $50k.
Municipal buildings were added at a cost of $30,000, although members of the City Council admitted they didn’t know where the buildings would go.
Animal control expenses were increased from $4k to $10k.
Street maintenance expenses were increased from $15k to $20k.
Mowing and litter collection expenses were increased from $6k to $10k.
Street signs expenses were increased from $2k to $5k.
Street Lighting expenses were eliminated from the budget.
The City Council based the new budget on a new property tax of 25 cents per $100 evaluation. The new budget was approved by the Council at the end of the meeting and they ratified the new tax increase. Alderman Doug Tomasini was the only one who voted against both the budget and the tax increase.
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