Niles City Council adopted its FY13 budget Monday after defeating a motion to strip $10,000 from $20,000 allotted to community promotion.

Councilman David Mann, supported by William Weimer and Scott Clark in a 4-3 vote, tried to trim $10,000, but Georgia Boggs, Pat Gallagher, Dan VandenHeede and William “Tim” Skalla voted for the budget as proposed. Robert Durm was absent.

Clark favored removing the entire $20,000. VandenHeede said keeping the amount at $20,000 gives the council some discretion and is less than $25,000 budgeted in 2011-12.

“Don’t tie our hands,” VandenHeede said.

Marie Weimer, chairwoman of Riverfest and the only one of five 1992 founders still active, thanked the council for supporting the festival through the years.

“We need policemen and firemen. That needs to be our priority,” she said.

Challenging department heads to tighten spending by 2 percent helped whittle a projected $400,000 deficit for Niles’ proposed 2012-2013 fiscal year to $48,043 based on general fund revenues of $6,559,790 and expenditures of $6,607,833.

Council heard no comment at public hearings on the budget and federal Community Development Block Grant action plan.

Niles expects to receive $261,000 in CDBG funds and to reallocate $123,000 from prior years to undertake a variety of projects meeting one of three national objectives: benefit low- and moderate-income persons, aid in prevention or elimination of slums and blight or meet other community development needs having particular urgency.

Proposed projects include road resurfacing ($115,000), Niles DDA business incubator ($10,000), Ferry Street Resource Center ($39,000), Niles Community Gardens ($10,000), code enforcement ($30,000), City Hall renovation ($100,000) and program administration ($40,000).

 

Second Dodge

Charger purchased

 

Ford Motor Co. discontinued the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, so the police department decided to begin using Dodge Chargers this budget year.

Monday night council bought a second Charger for $23,448 through the state purchasing contract from Bill Snethkamp’s of Lansing.

The police department bought five patrol cars in 2005 and five more in 2008.

The city bought five sets of Jamesville Commando firefighter gear from Apollo Fire Equipment in Romeo for $7,875.

Council accepted a $54,600 bid for three years from Abraham and Gaffney of East Lansing for auditing services effective with the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.

Council awarded a $19,612.94 contract to Sinclair Recreation of Holland to complete the Cable Street Park improvement project.

 

Planner appointed

 

Council appointed John DiCostanzo to finish the planning commission term through Dec. 31 of Melissa Rodgers, who resigned.

Council welcomed back Gallagher and excused her June and July absences.

The evening ended in closed session for union negotiations.