Meeting next week, all members told to bring budget cut ideas

 

With two measures approved to boost or maintain revenues, Ironton City Council members were asked Wednesday to bring ideas for budget cuts to a special finance committee meeting next week.

Meeting in special session, council suspended the rules and gave second and third readings and final approval to an ordinance establishing the $8 municipal fee.

The fee was to have expired today if it had not been approved. This latest approval is for 12 months and will be reviewed this time next year.

Council chairman Mike Lutz called a finance committee meeting for 5 p.m. Wednesday to discuss what cuts should be made to balance a budget that is anywhere from $175,000 to $500,000 short of expected income.

“I think it’s time for all of us to come together and work together,” Lutz said. “I think everyone needs to bring proposed cuts. We’ve talked about revenue up to this point. I would appreciate everyone sharing in this. We need to talk about where we can trim as much as possible from the budget.

After the roughly eight-minute meeting in open session, council member Bob Cleary asked for an executive session to discuss negotiations with the city’s police, fire and public works unions.

Lutz also announced the date for a public hearing regarding the re-zoning of a parcel of property on Liberty Avenue.

The meeting was scheduled for Feb. 23 but was canceled for lack of a quorum. At issue is whether to rezone a portion of a parcel of property that is zoned commercial; the rest of the lot is zoned residential. Neighbors have said they do not want this property, adjacent to The University Mart, used for business.