The 2017 budget for the City of Butler will include a tax increase, as well as increased borrowing to meet expenses.
“The budget was nearly impossible to balance and was unrealistic,” Councilman Mike Walter said during a meeting Thursday. “The city is in crisis mode and there needs to be strict purchasing procedures in place from this point forward. There should have been for years before I took office too but there weren’t.”
Walter is Director of Accounts and Finance for the city. The budget includes a .75-mil increase in the street lighting tax, which is expected to collect an additional $48,000 for the city. The city is also increasing the amount of their tax anticipation note from $750,000 to $1,000,000.
According to Walter, this year’s almost $8 million budget is nearly $50,000 more than last year, with 53 percent of expenses going to the police and fire departments. With rising payroll expenses, City Council agreed to a plan to send letters to the three local city employee unions with a goal of financial relief.
“One of the things we’re going to do is send letters to the unions and ask them to re-open the contracts so we can help balance the budget,” Walter said.
The budget does not include any new vehicles or capital projects but does include $50,000 borrowed from the parking fund to meet 2017 payroll.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
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