City Budget Vote Tuesday

    Central’s City Council will meet next Tuesday to consider approval of Mayor Shelton’s budget for 2016/2017.  The Mayor is proposing a $571,000 increase in the General Fund Budget to $5.7 million as compared to $5.1 million for the current year.
    The mayor – requested budget increases are in the areas of the Central Police Department, economic development, ordinance violation prosecution, and increased compensation to the city’s municipal services contractor.  Most other line items in the budget are comparable to the current year.
    The Mayor’s request to expand the Central Police Department would result in a $426,000 Police Department budget, compared to the $190,000 budget of three years ago.  The more than doubled budget is the result of new police vehicle purchases as well as paid officers and an expanded group of volunteers.
    The $181,000 budget for economic development, up from $28,500 expended in the current year, is consistent with the Mayor’s commitment to “make this city grow,” which he asserted at a recent Economic Development Committee meeting.
    The City has an administrative law process and routinely prosecutes Central citizens for ordinance violations.  Mayor Shelton is requesting that the current year budget of $17,450 be increased to $153,750 in order to allow for increased prosecution of ordinance violations and to fund enforcement of administrative orders.
    Finally, the Mayor requested, and the City Council approved, a two-year extension of the City Services contract with IBTS, adding $122,000 to the contract price for 2016/17.
    A favorable vote of the City Council is required for the budget to be enacted.  The City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, June 14th, at 6PM at the CHS Auditorium.  Public comment on the budget will be allowed at that time.