MAPLETON — Property owners can relax. The City Council isn't going to raise property taxes.
"This is the wrong year to raise taxes," Councilman Stuart Newton said before moving to adopt the $2.29 million general fund budget for fiscal 2002-2003 that takes effect July 1, up from $1.98 million.
The Council pruned $103,000 from the proposed general fund budget on Wednesday. The new budget still adds about $310,000 in planned spending above the current year's total budget.
The general fund cuts included a reduction in anticipated ambulance income from $65,000 to $50,000, while road funding from reserves dropped from $238,000 to $150,000.
The Council also reduced anticipated property tax income from $569,000 to $567,930 and put the difference in the greenbelt rollback revenues from farm land developed into subdivisions, where the money should have gone originally, city finance director Don Walker said.
In the capital improvements fund, the Council also decided not to spend $75,000 for new police vehicles, $200,000 for a fire truck, $67,000 for a brush truck or $70,000 for a new park lawn mower. The fund totals about $788,000.
Newton said he wanted to see an equipment list before giving the parks department any money. The councilman said he has tried to get a list of park equipment needs for the past four years. Mapleton contracts for much of its lawn care, officials said.
Councilwoman Lori Allen said she favors developing a coordinated parks plan for the city, something that is currently lacking.
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