The upcoming 106th Street interchange on Interstate 69 is not in the 2016 budget because the city already appropriated its $9.52 million share of the cost in 2012.
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The council members did not give specific details about why they had concerns with the budget, although Bradley mentioned some projects, such as an amphitheater at Chain Park, that he wanted to put on hold.
Then multiply the taxable value by the property tax rate of 0.004589.
“Until we get that budget in front of us, we’re not going to approve it”, Bradley said after Tuesday’s council meeting. Those workshops will allow the council to further refine its proposed property tax levy and 2016 budget. In giving the nod to the addition of the four positions, council members, at the workshop, also directed Johnson and city staff to find approximately $150,000 in cuts elsewhere in the budget.
The preliminary tax levy proposed this week is $1,034 on an average market value home.
Council members do understand the need for the additional public safety staff. That four are needed in the first year of the plan requires a big financial commitment, they know.
Among many other things, the city budget includes a $7.5 million increase in the operating budget of the health and human services department, a rise in the living wage for city employees from $11.39 to $13.03, a continuation of about $1 million in added yearly funding for the mayor and council offices, and dozens of additional police officers and paramedics. From 2006 through 2015, Woodbury has typically increased that rate by 3.4 percent, according to Johnson.
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“If the council does not wish these items to be included in the budget, there is no reason why they cannot vote on the budget today, and specify in their motion to have the two items in question removed”, the letter read.
