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Logan Approves 2015 Budget; Forecast Is Gloomy


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While this is supposed to be joyous and happy time of the year, Logan City Council members were not smiling when they were presented an overview of the 2015 appropriations (budget).

Although council approved the 2015 appropriations (budget) during Tuesday night’s meeting, they realize the city will need to tighten the purse strings when it comes to spending.

Logan City Auditor Tina Lindsay presented an overview of the budget to the finance committee in a separate meeting prior to the council meeting. The committee discussed options for generating more revenue including cutting services and working with just the basics to get by or an increase in the form of city income taxes.

“Bottom line is we have appropriated all that can be appropriated,” stated frustrated councilman Jim Robinson. “We only have a couple of choices and that is to raise more money in the form of a tax or cut services.
“We’ve already cut everything several years ago to the basics and the only cuts we can make now would be in personnel,” he continued.

According to Lindsay, since 2012 the expenditures of the city have exceeded the revenue.

Due to the complexity of the budget and to make sure all facts are correct and in order, The Logan Daily News will have a complete story on the budget next week.

In other news, members of the Logan City Council passed two emergency ordinances and two emergency resolutions during Tuesday’s meeting.
• Ordinance 54 – an ordinance creating a new line item within the capital improvement fund for the rehab of a dump truck that is used for spreading salt and plowing the streets of Logan.
• Ordinance 55 – an ordinance reducing the appropriation in the Community Development Block Grant fund in the amount of $85,000.
• Resolution 22 – a resolution transferring the total sum of $15,000 within the general fund from miscellaneous, medical and life insurance to fire personnel service and $1,900 from miscellaneous medical and life insurance to fire pension, employer contribution.
• Resolution 23 – a resolution transferring $1,500 within the water fund from general administration, medical and life insurance to general administration PERS and Medicare. And transferring the sum of $7,200 within the water fund from general administration, medical and life insurance to distribution employees.

Four ordinances were passed after the third reading, including:
• Ordinance 48 – an ordinance reducing the appropriation in the fire pension fund in the amount of $3,400.
• Ordinance 49 – an ordinance reducing the appropriation in the police pension fund in the amount of $3,400.
• Ordinance 50 – an ordinance amending Ordinance 10, 2004 as it relates to section 13 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Logan titled “Allocation of Funds” to change the income tax allocation from 90 percent general fund and 10 percent capital improvements fund to 97.5 percent general fund and 2.5 percent capital improvements fund.
• Ordinance 51 – an ordinance to make appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Logan, during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2015.
A first reading was heard on Ordinance 56, an ordinance appointing Carol Martin to serve as clerk for the Zoning Commission to transcribe the minutes of the Commission.
Council voted not to have a meeting on Dec. 23 due to the Christmas holiday. The next meeting will be held at 8 p.m., Jan. 13.