Warsaw City Council Tuesday approved a declaratory resolution that reduces the city's 2009 general fund budget by $88,454.
The council met with city department heads for a special meeting Tuesday night at city hall to discuss its 2009 budget.
The council previously approved the 2009 budget at its November 17 meeting with a general fund totalling $11,716,608. That was reduced to $11,628,154.At the November meeting, Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins asked supervisors to review where they could reduce their budgets if need be.
The council Tuesday approved a $89,454 total reduction to the city's general fund.
The largest reduction was in the police department budget that will be reduced by $28,000. The budget will be reduced from $152,900 to $124,900. The reduction is in machinery and equipment and will not allow the department to purchase a new patrol car.
The second largest reduction is to the street department budget that will be reduced by $27,454. The budget will be reduced from $221,849 to $194,395. With the reduction, the department will not purchase a new pickup truck with a plow.
The mayor's budget will receive a $1,000 reduction from $3,000 to $2,000; the clerk's budget will receive a $3,000 cut from $10,000 to $7,000; the council budget will be reduced by by $5,500 from $12,500 to $7,000; the fire department budget will be reduced by $12,000 from $72,900 to $60,900; and the building and planning department budget will be reduced by $10,000 by eliminating the beautification task force.
The aviation department budget will be reduced by $5,000 from $45,000 to $40,000; the cemetery budget will be reduced by $12,000 from $25,500 to $13,500; and the parks department budget will be reduced by $13,000 from $94,040 to $81,040.
"I've found that the department heads have been good stewards of the city's money," Hampton said.
"I think their budgets are created in a way the department heads are trying to predict the future and at the same time are being frugal with their spending."
Wiggins said between August and December, department heads gave back almost $800,000 in cuts to last year's budget and agreed the departments have been frugal in their spending.
Wiggins said the city is doing the best job with limited resources and are not looking at cutting personnel at this time.
"I think it is ultimately the right thing to do not to reduce personnel especially in these times of layoffs and unemployment in our community," Wiggins said.
Council President Joe Thallemer said he and the council tried to look at reducing capital spending and not reducing personnel or operating expenses.
"The uncertainty with the property tax reform and revenues being questionable are things that put pressure on all communities and encourages taxing units to take a look at their budgets more closely," Thallemer said.
In other business, the council approved an interlocal cooperation agreement between Warsaw and Wayne Township for a fire territory. The agreement states all of the assets of Wayne Township are committed to the fire territory and pursuant to statute remain titled in the township's name.
The agreement also states all of the assets of the city are committed to the fire territory and pursuant to statute remain titled in the city's name.
