From the Elkhart Truth:
David Henke thinks Mayor Dick Moore’s 2014 budget plan is seriously flawed.
And he thinks the mayor’s veto last year of a Republican-led budget amendment has left the Elkhart City Council powerless to do much of anything related to the budget.
As a result, the Republican council member says the council should not pass a budget for 2014, meaning the city would continue with the existing 2013 spending plan for the next year.
Whether he has much support for such a maneuver remains to be seen, but officials need to wrap up decisions on the budget in less than two weeks.
The council on Monday, Oct. 7, announced it will vote on a series of salary ordinances and the entire budget plan on Oct. 21.
Moore’s proposed $54 million budget is about $2 million over the current spending level and much of that is connected to anticipated rising costs for city employee health care.
The budget includes 2 percent raises for all city employees.
Moore said he could not recall a time when the Elkhart City Council had not passed a budget and said doing so would be “irresponsible” and would leave city government short-changed in numerous areas.
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http://www.elkharttruth.com/article/20131007/NEWS01/710079920
