It's budget time in Cedar Lake and all departments will have to justify any spending increases they plan for the coming year.
Department heads have until Friday to present a budget, Clerk-Treasurer Amy Gross said.
If there are any spending increases, department heads will have to justify them according to the town’s Strategic Plan and Action Plan, which was adopted last month.
The hearing for the 2014 budget is scheduled for Oct. 1, with budget adoption planned for two weeks later on Oct. 15.
The budget will involve 11 funds, including the general fund budget, which covers the lion’s share of town services.
Final word on Cedar Lake’s budget will come from the Department of Local Government Finance, which must approve final numbers.
In 2013, the town's general fund was approved for about $3.6 million. The town tax levy was approved at about $2.07 million, or 57 percent of the approved budget. The remaining balance is scheduled to be funded by miscellaneous revenues.
