No police and fire department personnel would be cut in a budget adjustment proposal prepared to meet the Clinton City Council’s vote to lower the tax rate. At last week’s budget meeting the council voted to eliminate the ‘emergency levy’ that was 27-cents per thousand dollar valuation. That meant a $260,000 reduction in expenses from the general fund.
The action lowered the tax rate from $16.62 per thousand dollar valuation to $16.35. That saves a home valued at $100,000 about $13 per year.
In a report prepared for Monday’s budget session-and made available on Friday-city officials have outlined how to reach that spending reduction.
The proposal shows a projected savings in the city attorney budget plus using the earlier $76,000 surplus to save $110,000 and a $15,000 savings in the SMMID reimbursement for the downtown area.
Those changes left about $134,000 to save in other general fund cuts. The biggest cuts to reach that level include a $40,000 reduction to the library resulting in closing the Lyons Branch. Another $40,000 is reduced by eliminating an administrative specialist at city hall.
Other reductions such as $6,500 to the fire department and $5,100 to the police department will be made up through reductions in services and commodities.
Other examples of reductions include saving $5,000 by not power-washing the Showboat, a $5,500 reduction in seasonal help for the Grounds and Facilities Department. There is a $4,000 reduction in the mayor’s budget with a reduction training/meetings/conferences and that leaves $4,000 in that budget. The contingency fund is also reduced. Cuts are made in all departments including a $300 reduction in information technology services outsourced to Computer Box.
The proposal will be discussed at the budget session on Monday afternoon at 3 o’clock at city hall.
