Budget draft discussed at informal meeting
Dale Denwalt
Daily Elk Citian
As part of the ongoing negotiations for the city's budget, commissioners are considering implementing a pay raise for city employees.
This comes shortly after the city ended a benefit that allowed every employee to only pay the minimum water bill, no matter how much water they used. One employee had pumped more than two million gallons, sparking an investigation into the practice.
City Hall has now gone back to the original intent of the benefit, which was intended only for 20-year veterans of city.
Now that the benefit is gone for most city employees, the commissioners may feel obligated to make up for it with a pay increase.
Ward 4 Commissioner Dan Gambill said he wanted to consider a raise, but wasn't sure how much.
"I felt like that would be fair, and I was willing to do whatever percentage that would have been to be fair, to make up for that," he said.
DENIED BUDGET REQUESTS
The following are selected budget requests that in the most recent draft have been denied.
Total amount requested: $16,543,500
Total amount granted: $5,164,000
Airport: Cardswipe fuel pumps ($60,000)
Police: Two motorcycles ($60,000)
Fire: Second substation ($500,000)
Fire: Water rescue vessel ($25,000)
Fire: New fire engine ($475,000)
Animal Control: New facility ($300,000)
Cemetery: Purchase building nearby ($175,000)
City Hall: Engineering contracts ($100,000)
Swimming pool: Splash pad ($250,000)
Streets: Dump truck w/ snow plow ($125,000)
Streets: 20th Street widening ($3.5 million)
Streets: Salt barn ($80,000)
Streets: 3rd Street widening ($3.5 million)
Fleet: New facility ($1.5 million)
Wastewater: Replace lift station: ($250,000)