There was good news for Grand Marais taxpayers Dec. 9 as City Administrator Mike Roth told city councilors that some adjustments in the 2016 draft budget resulted in a lower levy increase than that which was previously approved.
The major change occurred due to adjustments in what the city will pay for medical insurance. Specifically, Roth said one of the city’s 20 employees with insurance had decided to drop down to a lower level of coverage next year, resulting in a lower payment the city is liable for. That means the city’s proposed levy now stands at $871,865, down from the $880,746 figure that was last discussed a month ago; the preliminary levy was originally set at $924,767 in September.
The original proposed levy would have meant a 12.2 percent increase over the current year, but councilors and administrators have worked to bring that number down. The first reduction – achieved by downward adjustments in administrative expenses, a lower allocation to the library, and an increase in anticipated income from the Rec Park – was made in November and brought the increase down to 6.8 percent. The latest numbers presented by Roth translate into an increase of 5.7 percent.
Other than the change in insurance rate, Roth said an adjustment was made in the expected revenues from the Rec Park and campground, which he raised by $40,000 to $900,000. However, he said that increase was offset by an extra $40,000 in park expenditures, “so it’s a wash.”
Final adoption of the 2016 budget is set for a special meeting Dec. 18, at which time council will also consider the salaries of its non-union employees.
There was a brief discussion of the latter as Roth and Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux announced the terms of a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the city’s AFSCME members. The new contract calls for pay increases of 3 percent and 2 percent in succeeding years, and the addition of sick leave for seasonal employees who have accrued at least 2,080 hours and an average of 30 hours per week during the previous season.
The change is expected to affect only three employees, and Councilor Tim Kennedy said it’s an easy thing to do to retain seasonal workers. “We rely on them, and this provides some incentive for them to want to come back,” Kennedy commented. “And it’s not a significant change to the budget.”
Council approved the new contract and will set the salaries for the city’s non-union employees at its next meeting. Traditionally, those increases match that granted to the union members, Roth said.
In other business
. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen attended the meeting to talk about recent complaints regarding loud vehicles racing up and down Broadway, particularly near the high school. The sheriff said he has taken some measures (chief among them increased deputy presence) to get the situation under control, but told council that the existing noise ordinance is unenforceable as written. For instance, he said, terms such as “harassing” and other non-specific words are used. “It’s too subjective,” Eliasen said, noting that the terms can have different meanings to different people, and can be applied to anything from “a chainsaw or a cat meowing.”
If council is serious about doing something about the excessive vehicle noise, Eliasen said he would be willing to help update the ordinance and equip the patrol vehicles with decibel meters to get readings that would stand up in court. Mayor Arrowsmith DeCoux, who said he has also spent a lot of time talking about the topic with fed-up citizens (one “pretty adamant” man in particular), said he was “definitely” interested in pursuing the matter and the city needs to start “casually” collecting data on what the normal decibel levels of common objects are in preparation for an ordinance update. The mayor also thanked the sheriff for his assistance and response to the situation, noting that there has already been a decrease in complaints and loud traffic. “I’m pretty impressed,” he said.
. Council approved a permit allowing the Grand Marais Lions Club to sell tickets for and hold a raffle on April 8 at the American Legion. Total value of the prizes is set at $1,200.
. Time was designated for the state-mandated Truth in Taxation Hearing, but as usual no citizens attended to offer comments.
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