The Columbus City Council gave its final approval Tuesday night for the $57.8 million proposed budget for 2018. Jamie Brinegar, the city’s director of finance, says that the overall proposed budget is down 1.9 percent from 2017. He talks about how some funds will be spent.
Brinegar explained that these so-called “empty” positions will help the police and fire departments to fill positions created by officer retirements much quicker. He also stressed that the actual budget and certified tax rate won’t be known until the state’s department of local government finance releases its final figures early next year.
Brinegar was asked how the county’s recent vote to increase the income-tax rate will effect city coffers.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop added that, while the amount of money the city will bring from the tax increase is unknown, he anticipates that some of it will be used to help fund efforts to fight the opioid epidemic. When the Bartholomew County Council passed the tax increase, members of that body indicated that they were in preliminary discussions with city officials to enter into a joint effort to tackle the drug problem. Lienhoop says that the city should have a better idea as to how much additional revenue will be coming in over the next few months.
The vote to approve the proposed budget for 2018 passed on a vote of 6-1. Frank Miller voted “no.”