City manager ties proposed hires to potential 10-mill increase

City manager Mr. Cole presented a five-year levy history and a table of millage options that ranged from the rollback rate (8.898) up to 12.5 mills. He said the administration had been discussing a 10-mill rate during budget design and estimated that a 10-mill rate would raise roughly $2.3 million in revenue and about $377,738 more than last year.

Mr. Cole laid out how the additional revenue would be spent, listing six new positions he proposed: "This is for a grant manager. This is for a communication specialist. This is for a community life manager, a human resources director, an additional code enforcement officer, and an additional probation officer." He said the combined salaries for those six positions were about $385,000 (salary only) and that benefits and a small draw on fund balance would be needed to cover full-year costs. Council members questioned whether unspent budget lines from prior years could be reallocated instead of raising the millage.