In a special meeting Bamberg City Council members approved sending the $1,936,364 proposed 2010 budget to council for first reading approval.

“We’ve worked really hard, it’s been a struggle, the committee went line-by-line,” Budget Committee Chairperson and Mayor Pro-Tem Nancy Foster said. The budget was developed facing an anticipated loss of $65,000 from the state. Foster stated that the budget was reduced by $34,000 to $35,000 for next year.

Millage will be raised 3.8 “percent” which will equal about $13,000. The budget committee had to tap the reserve fund for $31,000 to balance the budget. “Which I’m not very happy about that,” Foster said.

It was noted that the 2010 budget included a 3.8 percent cost of living increase for city employees at a cost of about $27,000.

Foster noted that there were some things that needed to be purchased. The Sanitation Department needed 100 trash carts at a cost of $7,500 and a mower deck at a cost of $4,500 and the police department needed new hand guns and walkie-talkies.

The city has a $31,000 payment obligation on the new fire truck and the fire department purchased two GPS Instruments. The amount of $400 was allocated to fund the new Boy Scout Explorer Program.

Bamberg City Clerk/Treasurer Bruce Watson stated that the budget must be published in the paper and wait 15 days before a public hearing and second reading can be held after the first reading.

“Then it will be a done deal and ready to go on July 1,” Watson said.

Watson noted that the 3.8 millage increase was a “percentage” because of re-assessment at the county level every five years. “I haven’t got a handle on that because when the state passed the laws and guidelines they got everything backwards,” he said.

“We’re trying to get a budget passed by July 1, and assessment figures haven’t come in which we needed about two months ago,” Watson continued, stating that he will use projections from the auditor, treasurer and assessor to make projections on the budget.

If the present city budget of 110.7 mills has to be rolled back one or two mills to 109 mills the city will be allowed to implement the 3.8 percent ‘Cost of Living Allowance’ increase.

“We’ll be back to the same millage we operated on last year that will hopefully give the city the same amount of money projected on the budget,” Watson said.

Also in the meeting:

Council members approved reducing donations to all non-profit groups out of the Community Promotions Funds from $400 to $200.

Council also approved a recommendation that would allow only half of council members to attend the annual spring and fall meetings at one time to conserve funds.