Proposed City Budget is balanced

A balanced budget proposal that freezes the deputy treasurer position, one street department job and one police department position, was delivered to the city council and the public at the April 2 regular city council meeting. Following is a budget memo shared by City Manager Chet Travis:

"The preliminary budget you are receiving tonight is a balanced budget without using any of the undesignated fund balance. We are proposing the use of $98,909 of the designated from the Lear tax recapture. The proposed budget includes freezing three vacant positions which have opened up recently. Hopefully, after some further negotiations, these positions may be refilled. The budget plans for a very small amount of captial expenses. The air compressor for filling the fire department air tanks is being funded by a grant and contributions from area fire departments. The $12,000 proposed city hall repairs is planned to be paid for with local grants. There are others areas of the budget that we will be proposing changes in to the council when we have our work sessions. We would like to suggest a work session on April 11 at 6 p.m. and, if needed, April 12, 6 p.m. I would also like to let the council and the public know that we are in negotiations with the city of Albion to combine our dispatch centers with the hope of saving more money."

The council tabled ratification of a proposed contract for the Dial-A-Ride employees union due to the 3.5-pecent raise in each of the three years of the deal until after budget workshop discussions.

Watch the April 9 Chronicle for more detail on these and other issues.