The Chelsea City Council will hold a second work session on its proposed 2014-2015 budget tonight at 6 p.m. in the lower level conference room of the city offices.
The City Council discussed the document on April 21 during an hour-long work session and several of the elected officials still had questions about the about $3.97 million proposed operating budget, which unless changed dramatically by the council, shows no increases in either the millage or the utility rates.
The 2013-14 budget is about $3.82 million and the largest increase in the new budget is a doubled debt service payment that’s about $100,000, City Manager John Hanifan told the council previously.
He said property values are “up a bit this year” and the proposed budget showed no millage increase for the seventh consecutive year.
Resident Susan Moore praised the City Council for having “more discussion” about the proposed budget.
“It behooves us all to see how our city spends its money,” she said during the public comment portion of the regular meeting on April 21.
Among the items that Council Members had questions about were the line items where additional funding for studies and attorney fees for the city’s opposition to the proposed McCoig Sand and Gravel pit in Lyndon Township could be found. The city previously approved a formal traffic safety study and analysis of the current traffic that goes through the downtown. It’s estimated that about 16,000 vehicles currently travel through downtown Chelsea on a daily basis.
The City Council has held a series of closed door sessions with an environmental attorney to discuss strategy regarding the city’s opposition to the sand mine.
