Council Adopts Proposed Budget

The city council voted to introduce the $101 million budget that will fund the city’s expenses for the 2011 calendar (and fiscal year).

The city will have to raise roughly $54 million in taxes, Finance Director Nick Trasente said.

The budget includes a 5.17 percent municipal tax decrease compared to , Trasente said.  

The council voted unanimously to adopt the proposed budget, which means that it is now in the council’s hands. The City Council will be holding budget workshops in the coming weeks to change line items and amend the budget. 

The proposed budget includes a roughly $5 million cash surplus which can be used on unexpected expenses.

The total surplus is $25 million. Of that number, roughly $14 million is already allocated, Trasente said. One of the biggest expenses is the $3 million in back pay for the settled police contracts. City Council unanimously approved a outlining the raises for the police officers.

The $3 million in back pay is a one-time expense, Trasente said. Other labor union negotiations—such as firefighters and other city employees—are not yet resolved and back pay for those employees will have to be paid in the future.

Trasente said also, during his power point presentation, that there was a $4 million decrease in salary cost this year because of lay offs and retirements. The $4 million savings in salary and wages include a couple of recent hires, such as three assistant comptrollers.  

“We did more than just skimming off the top,” Trasente said about the savings in the budget.

More information about the 2011 budget will follow as the City Council continues to amend it.