City Looks To Cut Budget

Cuts made Sept. 1 to the 2004 Warsaw budget and a decrease to the 2005 budget totaled more than $1 million.

City department heads were asked to take a hard look at possible expenditures for the rest of the year and returned to the council with $532,700 in "Line 2" cuts. These include appropriations set aside for things like equipment, operating supplies, professional services, utilities and $87,500 in salaries and benefits.

"Line 1" cuts to the 2005 general fund budget added up to $530,790. Plans for a city-paid engineer ($67,058 in salaries and benefits) were scraped in the building and planning budget as well as $25,000 to establish the city as a "Tree City" and $25,000 for land acquisition.

The street department's plans to purchase six new dump trucks was cut to the purchase of three vehicles.

The police department's request to purchase three new cars was reduced by one to two new cars. A request to hire a new officer (at a cost of $59,299 in salary and benefits) also was denied.

Costs for surveillance cameras for the Lake City Greenway boardwalk and Central Park were cut from the council budget. The facade grant program was taken from the council budget and moved to the riverboat fund.

Contracts with nonprofit organizations were set as follows: Kosciusko Area Bus Service, $18,500; Kosciusko Development Inc. $2,500; Sus Amigos, $8,000; Warsaw Community Development Corp., $12,000; Warsaw Housing Authority and Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, $25,000 each. A proposal to offer the Bowen Center's Employee Assistance Program was denied at a cost of $7,500. The Warsaw Board of Works will approve these contracts.

The council also cut $75,000 that had been set aside for engineering costs on Parker Street improvements.

The salary ordinance was approved allowing for no more than a 3 percent increase for employees. No isolated raises exceeding 3 percent were given. Councilmen Bill Rhoades and Jeff Grose voted against the salary ordinance.

There was no vote regarding the elected officials' salary ordinance.

At tonight's meeting the council will consider changes to the city-funded employee health insurance policy. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in city hall.

City council members are George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Bob Morrison, Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, Charlie Smith and Joe Thallemer.