It will still take a formal vote on Dec. 19, but Galesburg City Council is expected to hold its 2015 tax rate for 2016.
City Manager Todd Thompson had proposed a 2.54 percent tax levy decrease, but aldermen verbally voted at a work session last night to use roughly $225,000 in revenue to partially fund the city’s police and fire pension contributions and to provide for maintenance on city parks.
An additional $380,000 originally allocated for a bridge reconstruction will also be used on maintenance.
Meanwhile, a number of FY17 budget plans were ironed out, last night as were plans to implement the city’s Capital Improvement Program.
A $150,000 comprehensive plan for community development, an $83,000 park master plan and a $40,000 to $60,000 police services study will be completed in 2017.
And Thompson tells WGIL a renovation of Park Plaza will be among projects to get underway next year.
“We had originally put the design in 2017 and we’ll continue with that,” Thompson says. “It sounded like in the discussion that they were open to actually trying to start that project in 2017, if possible. The funding is available.”
Multiple designs are being considered and public hearings will be held before plans are finalized.
Aldermen also verbally moved forward with making cuts as a part of the budget. Roughly six city staff positions will be reduced including the deputy treasurer, though no layoffs would occur. The budget will be presented for final vote on Dec. 5.
