City council budget hearing tonight

City council budget hearing tonight

Tim Leeds

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Havre City Council is set to hear comments tonight on its preliminary budget, two days before it takes a final vote on the funding for city government.

The council voted Aug. 30 to approve the preliminary budget on its first reading and set tonight's public hearing, which starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

The final vote on the budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall.

The $15.7 million budget is down more than half a million dollars in appropriations from last year's budget, but City Clerk and Finance Officer Lowell Swenson said that is not due to cuts in programs.

The drop in appropriations is due to completed projects, including work to replace the water main on Saddle Butte Drive and work on a sewer lift station, which were not included in this year's budget.

Swenson said that, while some departments were down a bit in their budgets, others were up slightly and the total amount of the preliminary budget is very close to last year's figures.

The council last week approved on first reading the taxes and fees that will be assessed to help pay the expenses. Those, again, were close to last year's figures, Swenson said, with the single largest increase in garbage collection. Those rates would go up about $10 a year per household, he said.

The preliminary budget includes $4,105,010 in its general fund. In that fund, $1,331,470 is listed for law enforcement and $422,790 is listed for the fire department. The ambulance service is paid through another fund.

The budgets for other special, debt service, capital improvement and enterprise funds include:

• Water treatment including operations and debt service: $3,114,875;

• Sewer service including operations and debt service: $2,400,993;

• Ambulance and emergency medical service: $1,149,375;

• Garbage collection: $922,993; and

• Street maintenance: $528,735.

Havre City Council is set to hear comments tonight on its preliminary budget, two days before it takes a final vote on the funding for city government.

The council voted Aug. 30 to approve the preliminary budget on its first reading and set tonight's public hearing, which starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

The final vote on the budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall.

The $15.7 million budget is down more than half a million dollars in appropriations from last year's budget, but City Clerk and Finance Officer Lowell Swenson said that is not due to cuts in programs.

The drop in appropriations is due to completed projects, including work to replace the water main on Saddle Butte Drive and work on a sewer lift station, which were not included in this year's budget.

Swenson said that, while some departments were down a bit in their budgets, others were up slightly and the total amount of the preliminary budget is very close to last year's figures.

The council last week approved on first reading the taxes and fees that will be assessed to help pay the expenses. Those, again, were close to last year's figures, Swenson said, with the single largest increase in garbage collection. Those rates would go up about $10 a year per household, he said.

The preliminary budget includes $4,105,010 in its general fund. In that fund, $1,331,470 is listed for law enforcement and $422,790 is listed for the fire department. The ambulance service is paid through another fund.

The budgets for other special, debt service, capital improvement and enterprise funds include:

• Water treatment including operations and debt service: $3,114,875;
• Sewer service including operations and debt service: $2,400,993;
• Ambulance and emergency medical service: $1,149,375;
• Garbage collection: $922,993; and
• Street maintenance: $528,735.