City council approves $6 million budget

Capital expenditures are hard to find in the city of Greencastle's 2008 budget with officials trying to save money where they can.

City-Clerk Treasurer Teresa Glenn told member of the city council Thursday that she has created a balanced budget for next year.

Estimated expenses in the '08 budget are $6,089,195, which is about $60,000 less than the projected revenues.

The total assessed value of properties in the city of Greencastle is $389,781,016, according to information being provided to the state Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).

Mayor Nancy Michael said that DLGF officials told the city it couldn't raise as much in property tax as it has first thought, meaning the city had to go back to the budget and make some adjustments. They chose to cut out a majority of capital expenses.

Michael said the city is still planning to purchase a new fire truck for the fire department and reconstruct more sidewalks next year.

They are still waiting to reach an agreement with the township to purchase the fire truck, she said.

City officials also made some changes to various budgets, including moving the building inspector's salary from the planning department to the fire department and eliminating a full-time position at the city police department and replacing it with two part-time positions.

The police department will have one of the positions and the fire department will get the other one.

The following funds were approved, on first reading, by the council Thursday night: Attorney, $47,313; Board of Works, $532,500; City Council, $68,639; Clerk-Treasurer, $133,616; Engineer, $82,117; Fire Department, $1,302,449; Mayor, $78,879; Building and Planning, $65,924; Police Department, $1,213,158; Park Debt Service, $157,000; General Obligation Bond, $42,000; Fire Pension, $132,356; Police Pension, $122,356; Local Road and Street, $105,000; Motor Vehicle Highway, $819,730; Cumulative Fire Special, $109,000; Parks and Recreation, $512,176; Cemetery, $254,482; Economic Development Income Tax, $407,000; and Cumulative Capital Development, $310,000.

Glenn said there would be some additional changes, which will be included in the final version of the budget when it goes back to the council Sept. 11.

"I feel comfortable these are conservative figures," Glenn told the council.