There is no easy or fast solution to the financial problems of the city of Butler.
“It’s our responsibility to look out and take care of business for the city but it’s not just our businesses,” Councilwoman Kathy Kline said Thursday during a special Butler City Council meeting. “I get it…we wouldn’t be a city without our businesses. But we have to look at the residents, the neighbors, and the people who live in the neighborhoods. We can’t anymore burden them with more taxes. It’s not fair.”
Council held the Thursday meeting to discuss the city’s dire finances. Leaders agreed there is not much more able to be cut from the budget so conversation focused on ways to increase the city’s non-tax revenue.
Among the ideas suggested were a city ambulance service or partnership, a city owned garbage collection service, alcohol permits for city parks, a regional police department and even city council going without pay for the last two months of this year.
Councilman Mike Walter was in favor of an idea to add pay parking back to Main Street.
“I’m thinking that if we can put kiosks in as soon as we can, I’d do it tomorrow if we could, I think we would start making money initially,” Walter said.
No conclusions about how to prevent an expected shortfall were reached but council did agree to look into the purchase of what officials called a much-needed street sweeper for the streets department.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
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