Final Budget Hearing tomorrow – 10/27/2009

The final segment of the Fort Wayne City Council 2010 City Budget hearings will be held tomorrow night during the Committee Session.

The proposed budget cuts have been submitted by City Council members and will be discussed and voted on tomorrow evening.  You may download the proposed cuts here.

Cutting the City’s proposed rate increase for City employees has been discussed several times during the sessions.  According to the submitted cuts, 3 Councilpersons (Liz Brown, Tom Didier and Tom Smith) are in favor of cutting the increase entirely.  Councilwoman Karen Goldner, Councilmen Mitch Harper, John Shoaff and Tom Smith?) are in favor of cutting the 1.5% increase for elected officials only.  If the elected officials increase is cut, Councilman Shoaff feels the City Clerk should receive the raise.  Councilman Mitch Harper has suggested cutting the increase from 1.5% down to 1%.  It’s apparent that the wage increase is probably not going to happen, or be altered from it’s original proposal.

Two Councilman have proposed cutting two of the four Mayor’s Neighborhood Advocates.  Councilman Tim Pape has suggested cutting the part-time assistant in the City Council office.

Councilman Tim Pape has followed through and proposed cutting the Communications Department budget.  The cuts had to be submitted by last Friday, so he probably didn’t know about the agreement.

Councilman Mitch Harper has proposed cutting $60,000 from the Mayor’s total wages.  He has also proposed cutting $1,500 from the Clerk/Council’s legal ads line.  This is the expense for publishing legal notices in the local papers.

Councilman John Shoaff has proposed cutting the Redevelopment budget by $200,000.

The Redevelopment Commission will fund the balance of the $570,481 requested, $370,481 out of the liquidated damages that the Redevelopment Commission will receive from Hardball Capital LLC, pursuant to Hardball’s obligations under the Stadium Management contract.

There are a few other proposed cuts as well, but these are the ones that jump out.

It should be an interesting meeting!