11/30/1989 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE 1990 BUDGET November 30, 1989 and then gives money back to the city. There are laws that we are guided by. Randy Schumacher stated that all cities are being affected by this reduction in state aid. Vern Reinert stated that it is getting tougher and tougher to manage the city financially, if the state gets into trouble they keep the money. The burden is felt at the city level. Julie Thel, 6482 12th Avenue asked what information would the council need to hear before the budget is cut. Randy Schumacher stated that no one from the city knew how much state aid would be cut until approximately 30 days ago. He stated that the budget was already cut by $100,000. He stated that residents may obtain a copy of the final budget. Ms. Thel asked if there is a possibility of cutting the budget. Ben Benson stated that he is very conservative when it comes to spending money on the city. The budget has already been cut and once again council will review the budget to see where, if anywhere can be cut. Mr. Benson felt that at least one or two more work sessions will be held before any final decision will be made on the budget. Bob Osborn, 6366 Otter Lake Road stated that he has lived in the city for a few years. He has had to contact the police department a couple of times and stated that the response and assistance he received was excellent. He went on to say that if he has to pay a little more for a better police department and fire department, he will be glad to pay. He stated that if the city is able to catch up this year in the public works department and purchase some equipment he has no problem with that. The city will experience major growth in years to come, and this time of spending is to be expected. He has no problems with the way the city is being run. Ben Benson stated that if the residents look at their tax statements, they would discover that the portion of the taxes that actually goes to the city is small compared to the mill rates of the county and the school district. Marilyn Elsenpeter, 850 Lois Lane asked about salaries. She stated that there is a major budget increase in this area. She asked what the percentage of increase has been in staff compared to the percentage of growth. Ben Benson stated that a City Planner has been added, three additional secretarial positions and additional staff in the parks department. The police department, public works and administration consists of 29 employees and eight years ago there were 18 employees. Page 5