Smithville Mayor Josh Miller said every year’s budget offers different challenges, but inflation has had an impact.
The Smithville Board of Mayor and Aldermen expected to pass their new fiscal year budget on June 3. Miller said Aldermen had to make some tough decisions.
“There’s definitely things that I would have liked to have added in the budget that we didn’t get to get this time,” Miller said. “But, you know, money’s kind of right right now, so, we just to make it go as far as we can. And we’re trying to do it without a property tax increase and there is no property tax increase in this year’s budget.”
Miller said one of the largest requests the board denied, at this point, some $1.2 Million for a new fire truck.
“And we’re just going to take a little bit closer look at maybe getting some more prices, more bids,” Miller said. “And it is something that we will probably have to address in the next few months. But as of right now, it is not in the budget.”
Miller said the budget process began back in late February and early March with workshops that included meeting with department heads.
“I kid with them and I call it there Christmas wish list,” Miller said. “But, you know, they present in front of the city council and that gives the city council time to ask questions to each department head. We have several workshops, and we’ve been working on this again, probably since first of March. So it is a long process.”
Miller said other items that are in the new budget include a three percent pay raise for hourly employees, and $100,000 for paving.
Miller said the city will spend $138,000 from the water and sewer account to replace lines for the sewer plant.
