Following numerous meetings and discussions over the past several months, Grand Marais city councilors convened Dec. 18 to approve the final version of the 2016 budget.
The spending plan, which was approved unanimously at the outset of the three-minute meeting, sets the levy at $871,865, a 5.79 percent increase over the current levy. However, that number is down significantly from the $924,767 preliminary levy set in September, which represented a 12.2 percent increase. That figure was subsequently reduced down to $880,746 last month.
City Administrator Mike Roth said the latest reduction was made possible mainly due to lower-than-expected health insurance costs, but factors including a lower allocation to the library, cuts in administrative costs, and an increase in anticipated income from the city’s campground all helped to bring the final levy down.
Inotheraction,thecouncilapproveda3percent salary increase for the city’s non-union employees beginning in January, following a similar vote at the prior meeting when a two-year collective bargaining agreement with union employees was approved. While union employees will receive a 3 percent wage increase in 2016 and a 2 percent raise the following year under the terms of the contract, council decided to make no decision for its non-union workers beyond 2016.
Council will hold one more meeting this year, at noon on Dec. 30. The only agenda item is expected to be payment of bills.
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