From the Richmond Palladium-Item:
The Richmond Common Council passed the city’s proposed 2014 budget Monday night, but passage did not come without a struggle.
Council approved the budget by a 6-2 vote, avoiding last year’s 5-4 council vote that rejected the proposed budget for 2013.
Monday night, council members Jack Elstro, Kelley Cruse-Nicholson, Bruce Wissel, Don Winget, Larry Parker and Ron Oler voted in favor of the budget while council members Misty Hollis and Phil Quinn voted against.
The budget is balanced and is $17.9 million in the general or property tax fund, up about 2 percent over the present year budget. The present year budget is actually the administration’s 2012 budget since council voted down the proposed budget for 2013 last year.
Hollis had problems with the present budget and questioned Mayor Sally Hutton about the ongoing disagreement between the city and Wayne County officials over the city’s share of the 911 dispatch budget.
Hollis proposed dropping $57,718 from the city’s Board of Works budget and adding the amount to the police budget for 9-1-1.
Hollis stressed the need to support emergency personnel, making reference to two Richmond police officers injured in a fight with four suspects last week.
“I would rather be safe. At this point, I’m more concerned with the safety of our first responders,” she said.
Hutton said the negotiations with the county are ongoing but said she feared city residents were being “double taxed” for 9-1-1 services since residents pay a fee for landline and cell phones and then the city must contribute an amount to the county’s 9-1-1 service.
“We’re still negotiating,” she said.
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http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013310210024
