Facing more than $450,000 in necessary cuts, how did the city of Niles do in its budgeting process?
Ask City Administrator Terry Eull, and he’ll say: “pretty damn good.”
The proposed budget, which the city council will take to a vote at its next meeting Aug. 22, came in at about $4,200 in the red. Not bad, considering this fiscal year the city was operating with a $250,000 deficit.
The proposed new budget — Eull’s last since he retires in September — projects $6.580 million in revenue and $6.584 million in expenditures.
The $450,000 in budget reductions were a result of $200,000 decrease in state revenue sharing and the $250,000 deficit from the previous year.
Most of the cuts come from loss of employees by attrition. The city will lose a retired firefighter and will not replace ex-cop Ivery Cross, who is serving a prison sentence for sexually assaulting an inmate. And when Public Works Director Neil Coulston retires at the end of September and assistant director Joe Ray takes over, Ray’s current position will not be replaced.
Eull said it’s still undecided whether the city will have both a police chief and captain after Chief Ric Huff takes over as city administrator in October, although the proposed ledger budgets for both.
The city will save $130,000 in eliminating major local road repairs in 2011-2012, Eull said. A small savings will also come from the difference between Eull’s $106,000 base salary and Huff’s $89,000 salary.
No cuts were made to Fort St. Joseph Museum or Niles Main Street, as initially proposed in early budget talks.
There are copies of the proposed budget available to the public at City Hall, 508 East Main St. A public hearing on the budget will take place 5:55 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Niles City Council Chambers, before the council is set to vote on the issue.