The City of Havre is looking at a $15.7 million budget for the next fiscal year, which its city clerk said is close to the same as it was last year.

“The total budget appropriations is down roughly $562,000 in total,” Lowell Swenson said in response to a question from Council President Allen “Woody” Woodwick during Monday's city council meeting where the preliminary budget was approved.  Swenson added that much of that reduction is due to completed projects that were not included in this year’s budget.

“Other than that, most of (the departments) are in line with what the budget was last year,” he said.

The council unanimously approved the preliminary budget.  Mayor Tim Solomon set a public hearing on the budget for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, and a final vote on the budget for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, both in City Hall.

Swenson said the adoption of the preliminary budget allows the council and the general public to look over the proposed amounts.

“Essentially this is just a starting point,” Swenson said.

He said much of the reduction is for completed projects like the water main on Saddle Butte Drive, which took $458,000 in last year’s budget, and a sewer lift station that cost $275,000, and a completed state Community-Transportation-Enhancement-Program-funded projects costing about $75,000, as well as several other special projects completed last year.

“That was a large portion of the reason the total budget dropped,” he said.

Swenson said after the meeting that revenue expected from properties annexed by the city last year were left out of the budget planning because of the lawsuit tying up that process.

The city annexed about 100 parcels in December, but a lawsuit filed in District Court alleges that the Havre government did not follow the state-mandated procedures.  Judge E. Wayne Phillips of Lewistown, who is presiding over the case, ordered the parties to pursue mediation, with that process to be completed Dec. 3.

Phillips is holding a hearing in Lewistown March 30, 2011, in which he will rule on a motion that the annexation process be halted until the litigation is completed.  The suit is scheduled to go to trial May 18, 2011.

Swenson said the lack of revenue from the annexed properties did not impact the budgeting process much.

“When it looked like we weren’t receiving it, we just prepared the budget without it … ,” he said.  “I don’t even know what it would have generated.

“We just prepared our budget like we have in the past,” Swenson added.

He said some other hits in the past few years have had an impact.  The city lost $63,000 in one year of its share of oil and gas production revenue, and in one year lost $175,600 in income from investments and savings, he said.

“It’s just money you’ve got to make up,” Swenson said, adding, “We’ve been pretty fortunate we haven’t had to cut personnel.”

The City of Havre is looking at a $15.7 million budget for the next fiscal year, which its city clerk said is close to the same as it was last year.

“The total budget appropriations is down roughly $562,000 in total,” Lowell Swenson said in response to a question from Council President Allen “Woody” Woodwick during Monday's city council meeting where the preliminary budget was approved.  Swenson added that much of that reduction is due to completed projects that were not included in this year’s budget.

“Other than that, most of (the departments) are in line with what the budget was last year,” he said.

The council unanimously approved the preliminary budget.  Mayor Tim Solomon set a public hearing on the budget for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, and a final vote on the budget for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, both in City Hall.

Swenson said the adoption of the preliminary budget allows the council and the general public to look over the proposed amounts.

“Essentially this is just a starting point,” Swenson said.

He said much of the reduction is for completed projects like the water main on Saddle Butte Drive, which took $458,000 in last year’s budget, and a sewer lift station that cost $275,000, and a completed state Community-Transportation-Enhancement-Program-funded projects costing about $75,000, as well as several other special projects completed last year.

“That was a large portion of the reason the total budget dropped,” he said.

Swenson said after the meeting that revenue expected from properties annexed by the city last year were left out of the budget planning because of the lawsuit tying up that process.

The city annexed about 100 parcels in December, but a lawsuit filed in District Court alleges that the Havre government did not follow the state-mandated procedures.  Judge E. Wayne Phillips of Lewistown, who is presiding over the case, ordered the parties to pursue mediation, with that process to be completed Dec. 3.

Phillips is holding a hearing in Lewistown March 30, 2011, in which he will rule on a motion that the annexation process be halted until the litigation is completed.  The suit is scheduled to go to trial May 18, 2011.

Swenson said the lack of revenue from the annexed properties did not impact the budgeting process much.

“When it looked like we weren’t receiving it, we just prepared the budget without it … ,” he said.  “I don’t even know what it would have generated.

“We just prepared our budget like we have in the past,” Swenson added.

He said some other hits in the past few years have had an impact.  The city lost $63,000 in one year of its share of oil and gas production revenue, and in one year lost $175,600 in income from investments and savings, he said.

“It’s just money you’ve got to make up,” Swenson said, adding, “We’ve been pretty fortunate we haven’t had to cut personnel.”