From the Clark County News and Tribune:
Following a few minor adjustments the Jeffersonville City Council approved its budget for next year.
The 2014 budget totaled a request of $29.5 million for the general fund budget, about $4 million more than what was approved by the Department of Local Government Finance this year for the 2013 budget.
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No other substantial changes were made to the budget that the council based off of the 2013 numbers. However, the expectation is the $29.5 million for the city’s general fund will not ultimately be what the city has to operate with next year.
“I am sure with the circuit breakers and the Department of Local Government Finance, we’re going to be making changes anyway,” said City Councilman Mike Smith.
The 2013 general fund budget was not cut by the DLGF, but circuit breakers that impacted the city forced Jeffersonville to cut about $3.2 million out of its total operating budget.
Indiana limits how much money can be collected in property taxes. It limits property taxes for individual homeowners at 1 percent of the assessed value of the property, 2 percent for rental properties and 3 percent for businesses. Any amount over the percentages cannot be collected by the taxing unit.
Most of the funding cut out of the 2013 budget was absorbed by the Parks Department budget — which was certified by the state at $2.69 million and was cut to $2.34 million — and the city’s Sanitation Department — which was certified at $2.99 million and cut to $2.56 million. The requested 2014 amounts for each department is $3.17 million and $2.13 million, respectively.
The council was also forced, last minute, to adopt the city’s salary ordinance at Monday night’s meeting.
Some confusion surrounded the need to approve next year’s salary ordinance because the deadline in previous years had been to approve the ordinance before the end of the year. However, Controller Amy Deering received an email from the state in the middle of the meeting that notified the city the salary ordinance must also be approved by Nov. 1 —the same deadline as the city’s budget.
To make the deadline, the council, which had motioned to adjourn, rescinded the motion, reconvened and approved the city salary ordinance.
No changes were made to the salary ordinance aside from a title change made earlier in the year to a position in the engineering department from engineer to construction inspector.
The council suspended the rules and passed the salary ordinance on all three readings.
http://newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/x2112902934/Jeffersonville-approves-budget-salary-ordinance
