BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
CHERRYVALE — The City of Cherryvale is proposing a mill hike of slightly less than one mill for the 2010 budget year, city councilors discussed Monday night at a budget work session.
The council is proposing a 2010 budget plan that calls for the city’s total mill levy, also known as a tax rate, to increase from 39.730 mills in the current 2009 budget year to 40.715 mills in the 2010 budget year, which begins Jan. 1.
A summary of the proposed 2010 budget plan is printed on page B8 of this edition of the Montgomery County Chronicle.
Why a 1 mill hike? The Cherryvale Public Library, which piggy backs its mill levy on top of the City of Cherryvale’s levy, is requesting a 1 mill hike due to costs associated with recent improvements at the library, including installation of a handicapped-accessible chair lift and entrance.
The Cherryvale Public Library’s mill levy for 2010 is projected to be 6.995 mills, up from the 5.902 mills in the 2009 budget and even larger than the 3.946 mills that were assessed in the 2008 budget year.
As for city-only spending, city administrator Trey Cocking estimated that the 2010 budget is projected to include a 4 percent wage increase for city employees, an increase in unemployment compensation, and the addition of another personnel member to the Cherryvale Fire-EMS Department. Cocking said the additional member — which would bring the total full-time staff from five to six employees — was warranted due to excessive overtime hours and because of lack of personal time available to existing staff members.
The city’s general fund is projected to increase from $1,608,155 in the 2009 budget to $1,833,850 in 2010.
Total expenditures are projected to increase from the $3,472,790 in the 2009 budget to $3,821,620 in 2010.
Even with the increase in some expenses, the city-only mill levy will see a slight drop — from 33.828 mills in 2009 to 33.730 mills in 2010.
However, with the tax increase requested by the Cherryvale Public Library, the total City of Cherryvale tax rate is projected to increase about 1 mill in the 2010 budget year.
Cocking emphasized that while total expenditures are projected to go up in 2010, the council and city staff have trimmed a number of “non-personnel operating costs” by 5 percent in 2009 and are projected to reduce those same costs by as much as 10 percent in 2010.
City councilors will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11, to hear the public’s concerns or questions about the proposed budget plan for 2010. After that hearing, the council will vote whether to adopt the 2010 budget plan.
