With budget time approaching, the administration is asking department and division heads to reduce their 2016 requests by $1 million, City Administrator Rick Smiley said Monday.
Smiley did not give any target numbers Monday for the local tax levy or total budget. In 2015, the total appropriations were $78,054,734.57 and the total local tax was $54,607,285, if I looked in the right place on the Municipal Data Sheet.
The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee is forming, with one person named by each of the seven council members. Finance Director Ron West said budget introduction will take place in March and the CBAC can begin working on it the following week.
The council still has to announce dates and locations of budget deliberations. West said there will be a tutorial for the budget committee.
The 2015 CBAC report included recommendations for an earlier start for budget talks and a desire to hear more from departments on their needs. Council members last year also had to be reminded not to name employees, but to refer only to job titles when recommending cuts.
The city faces a unique situation going into 2016 with money owed for a settlement in the Byron Halsey case.
Halsey was found innocent of the heinous 1985 murder of two children and was freed after 19 years in prison. In April 2014, a three-judge panel ruled that Halsey could sue police officers involved in obtaining his confession. Last year's installment of the $1.4 million settlement was paid after the budget passed, so became an emergency appropriation against the 2016 budget. In all, the 2016 total owed appears to be $682,600.
Budget talks are open to the public. Plaintalker will relay the schedule when it is approved by the council.
--Bernice
.
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I just hope there's money in the budget for a marketing person(s)and the council doesn't cut it. It's something that is sorely needed if we expect to attract who and want we need to continue on the direction of progress for Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteRB
Innocent man convicted, As a result of a slipshod investigation. Now the taxpayers have to pay 1.6 million causing a budget shortfall. And above all else the family still have deal with the fact that key witness in halsey case was actually the killer. Striving for peace and justice for all . Mr. X
ReplyDeleteDon’t fret Mr X, that’s why the city has insurance, so they won’t be on the hook for the entire amount in cases such as these. There may be some cost to the city but the bulk is covered by insurance (and not workmen comp insurance, more on the line of an E&O policy).
DeleteRobin B