2017 Hurley budget holds line on taxes

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Hurley — The 2017 city of Hurley budget is nearly identical to 2016 and that’s a good thing for taxpayers.

The city council Tuesday approved a $2,324,849 budget for 2017 that is down .37 percent and a tax levy of $885,399, down .15 percent.

City clerk Stacy Wiercinski briefly went over key budget items with council members after there were no public comments.

She said the city’s debt has dropped slightly and she hopes the opening of the grocery store and a motel on U.S. 51 will help boost the water-sewer fund, which has struggled in recent years because of the loss of big water users.

Wiercinski said the transportation aid the city receives will decrease by $11,000.

The budget includes 2 percent pay raises for city employees, including the police officers.

The city will end the year with a fund balance of around $261,141 after a balance of $285,963 on Jan. 1, 2016.

The various department budgets are about the same as the figures approved a year ago, with the public safety (police) budget at $655,455 and the street department budget at $500,821.

The general government budget is $299,320 and debt service is pegged at $170,994.

Intergovernmental revenues will provide $870,918 to the budget, or slightly less than the city tax total.

In other business Tuesday, the council agreed to spend from $5,000 to $10,000 for pump repairs on the 23-year-old fire truck. Fire chief Darrell Petrusha said the truck has been relatively repair-free up to this point. Most of the money for repairs will come from the fire department budget, council members said.

The council also discussed revocation of a liquor license for MJ Petro Group, doing business at Club Sierra at 21 Silver St. City attorney Ray O’Dea said he did not need a formal motion to begin revocation proceedings.