Spending cuts proposed by City Council members would reduce Mayor Tom Henry's 2013 budget by about $2.2 million, trimming several staff positions and even one whole department.
In all, council members submitted nearly 30 individual cuts – although some of the ideas overlapped – according to information provided by city Clerk Sandra Kennedy's office.
Henry's budget calls for a tax increase of about 6 percent on most property owners to close a $6 million deficit in the spending plan. Even if council approves all the spending cuts, the city would need to either raise taxes by at least 3 percent or use money from its cash reserves to balance the budget.
As expected, Councilman John Crawford, R-at large, requested that the city's overall property tax collections for 2013 be lowered by about $6 million from $112.2 million to just over $106 million. He and other Republicans have suggested using some of the cash reserves or $75 million "Legacy" fund -- created from the lease and sale of the old City Light utility -- to fill the budget gap without raising taxes.
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On Tuesday, council is expected to discuss the cuts and take an initial vote on Henry's $174 million spending plan -- $140 million of which is supported by property taxes. The budget is scheduled for final passage Oct. 23.
