The Bruce Board of Aldermen voted for a $262,644 deficit budget that includes a 5% pay raise for city employees and a 60% pay increase for themselves.
The pay increase for the aldermen moves their monthly pay from $250 to $400. The mayor didn’t receive a pay raise.
The full board supported the 5% pay increase for employees. The vote was 3-2 against the increase for board members with Steve Nelson and Ellen Shaw voting against.
The total cost of all the raises is $44,901.
The board doesn’t plan on a tax increase to make-up the $262,644 deficit, but instead to closely monitor spending over the course of the year.
“Most departments don’t spend everything in their budget,” City Clerk Rita Talford said, although she acknowledged this is a larger deficit budget than usual.
“We certainly can’t keep doing this every year,” Mayor Rudy Pope said. “We’re going to have to tighten our belt big time.”
“We could hold off on that $100,000 in paving and wait until the following year when the sewer project is done,” Alderman Johnny Armstrong said.
“We can definitely consider that,” Mayor Pope said.
The public hearing on the budget was set for Thursday, Aug. 28.
In other news, the board agreed to postpone paving this year and roll the remaining $50,000 in the budget into next year’s budget.
They also approved a program to fluoridate the city’s water supply, but Alderman Steve Nelson offered some caution.
“I’m not saying we should’t do it, but I’ve read some articles that suggested not everything about fluoridation is good and we need to look into it deeper before carrying it too far,” he said.
