The basics:
Health insurance
City Manager
"That's the biggest puzzle piece every year, and this year is no different," Maness said.
But the 54-percent increase the city's current insurance provider wanted to provide the same level of coverage would add close to
"And next year they want another 40 [percent]," Maness said. "The last couple of years they've paid out more than we've paid in, and if that keeps up you're looking at an increase."
Maness recommended joining the insurance pool with the state
"The maximum out-of-pocket is very comparable," Maness said.
"This package has to match up to other cities, or we're going to lose employees faster," said Council Member
Mayor
"But we have to look," Peterman said.
Economic development position
The council got its first look at a proposal to make a
Peterman took an informal poll of the council, and there was a majority in favor of asking Maness to find funding for the contract in the 2018-19 budget.
"I see this as bringing the economic development to get what we need," Wiggins said.
Putting things off?
Maintaining the city's
* four new police officers plus four new cars, radios, computers, and their guns;
* three new firefighters that would have meant an additional
* a new IT worker;
* a new fire engine; and
* a "brush truck" for the fire department.
"I tried to keep that in there, but when you're trying to fill a million-dollar gap, you have to look at a lot of
"We just keep pushing them down the road," Wiggins said.
Maness said the city's growth and growth in the city's tax base would bring more revenues in future years.
"We're getting there, but it's not going to happen overnight," said Council Member
The budget does include another
"Really, your local taxes go to your public safety," Maness said. "Your police and fire."
The police department is about 30 percent of the city's general fund and the fire department about 9 percent.
Other items
Maness recommends spending
Maness said the board could broadcast on Facebook live if the sound in the chamber was better, though Peterman and several other council members didn't like the idea of anonymous comments scrolling across the screen while they were broadcasting.
Downtown Wi-Fi is probably also out of reach in this budget, Maness said, since it would have to be independent or at least insulated from the city's internet connections to keep people from hacking into city systems.
"Our slice has gotten bigger," Maness said. "We grew more than anybody last year"
Maness estimates getting 7 percent more than the current year, or about
The budget public hearing will be at
Reporter
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