City Council passes fiscal 2016 budget that includes raises for city employees

“This is the council’s budget”, Bradley said.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado was the lone nay vote on the budget removal.

Bradley said he made recommended changes to the budget last week, but he said those changes were not reflected on the budget this week.

The Sterling City Council is expected to approve the 2016 budget during their regular meeting Tuesday.

Then multiply the taxable value by the property tax rate of 0.004589. The proposed levy includes $697,410 for its general fund and another $386,599 for debt service.

Property taxes will increase in 2016, but it is equal to the rate charged in 2014. In giving the nod to the addition of the four positions, council members, at the workshop, also directed Johnson and city staff to find approximately $150,000 in cuts elsewhere in the budget. That allows the city to reduce mills by 3.76, bringing the mill levy to 99.33. However, by cutting the $150,000, the $40 property tax levy increase to the same home will drop to $35.

Carroll was joined by council members Mary Dryden (Ward 4), Henry Naylor (Ward 5) and council president Kim Bradley (Ward 1) in showing public concern with the budget presented Monday.

Council Members Don Zimmerman and Ellen Troxclair – both fiscal conservatives who voted against the city budget – cast the two “no” votes against the property tax rate.

“I like the original budget better, but I think I see why we need to do this”, Councilmember Amy Scoggins said.

The proposed budget that does not call for a millage rate increase is for l $1.1 billion dollars to cover the daily expenses of running the city. From 2006 through 2015, Woodbury has typically increased that rate by 3.4 percent, according to Johnson. “The budget that was presented by the administration today is not a budget that the council is going to approve”. The budget will be reviewed again at a November 4 workshop.