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| Council works to save jobs in tight city budget |
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| News | |||
| Written by Brian McCauley | |||
| Wednesday, 22 July 2009 08:00 | |||
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Five days after a lengthy Paola City Council work session in which officials considered extensive cuts to the city’s depleted budget, council members met again last week, this time putting a priority on saving jobs. Following the July 14 council meeting, council members met in a work session to hammer out the details of a series of proposed budget cuts that were first reviewed during a work session July 9. Paola City Manager Jay Wieland modified the proposed cuts, which first included the elimination of positions in the Public Works and Police departments along with freezing salaries and increasing the mill levy, among other proposals. Wieland’s budget proposal during the July 14 meeting restored the two street department positions that previously would have been cut. In order to save the jobs, though, the budget had to be tightened even further, with the 2010 administration budget being reduced by $11,000 and the amended 2009 street department budget being reduced by $83,000 by eliminating the mechanical equipment replacement fund and reducing capital items, among other things, according to a city manager memorandum. Although the council members were pleased with the modifications made to save jobs, there still was concern about the proposed mill levy increase of 3.077 mills. The mill levy helps determine the rate in which city residents pay property taxes. “I’m not going to be able to support a tax increase,” Councilman Jack Rowlett Jr. said. “Not with all the utility rate changes. I think we’ll have to make additional cuts, even if it is staff.” Rowlett specifically mentioned the Paola Community Center as a fund that hadn’t been cut as much as others. Councilman Pete Bell agreed with Rowlett about the mill levy. “Governments don’t raise taxes during bad times,” Bell said. Looking to offset the proposed mill levy hike, the council members dove back into the budget, this time looking to cut an additional $150,000, which equals about three mills. The officials looked at a number of additional cuts, including moving the salary of a public works position into the special street fund and out of the general fund, eliminating the mechanical equipment replacement fund for the fire department, cutting economic development funds by $7,000 and reducing the amount in the bond and interest fund for unanticipated debt, among other cuts. Additional cuts also were made to the community center budget, reducing the building and maintenance line item from $8,000 to $4,000, among other things. Rowlett wanted to be sure the cuts did not include any changes to the city’s proposed 2010 cash carry over of $301,083, which the officials had previously expressed concern about being too low. Wieland previously has said ideally a city will have an appropriated reserve of at least 25 percent of the general fund budget, which would mean Paola would need to have a carry over of about $1 million. “That’s all you got if something goes wrong,” Rowlett said. The additional cuts allowed the proposed mill levy to not change, but Wieland warned the council members that the budget had been cut as thin as it could go, and any more reductions would likely have to include cuts in staffing. “There is no wiggle room left in this budget,” Wieland said. “The only answer is bodies now.” City Clerk Dan Droste said council members likely will vote at the July 28 council meeting to set the mill levy and a public hearing for the budget. Once the tax rate is set, the budget can be reduced but not increased, Droste said. The approved city budget for 2010 must be sent to the county by Aug. 25.
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