Jared Clark
Brookings City Council members passed a $9.2 million budget Monday at their regular action meeting.
City Manager Mike Williams said the new budget suffered a two percent drop from last year’s due to insufficient city income.
“For the last two years, most of the cuts [we've made were regarding personnel] and not replacing equipment,” he said. Four city employees will be reduced this year alone.
Recent economic downturn has adversely affected the city’s ability to continue fully funding all its programs, he said.
Residents living on city-maintained gravel roads will notice the cuts, as dust control will no longer be applied. The budget for the Convention and Visitors Bureau was also scaled back this year, Williams said. The CVB brings concerts and sporting events to the area.
Brookings Mayor Virgil Herriott prepared a resolution that would provide $167,000 of reserve funding for use by the city manager toward programs he deemed “priority.” New police cars and city vehicles, additional CVB and Brookings Multiplex funding and funding for downtown improvement were all part of the list.
The mayor’s resolution was defeated with council members Tom Bozeid, Mike McClemans and Scott Munsterman voting against the mayor’s motion, Doris Roden and Sam Artz in favor.
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