The Perry City Council and staff members continue to work through the fiscal year 2015 budget, looking for ways to compensate for the upcoming decrease in revenues.
Money coming into the general fund is expected to be down 10.7 percent compared to the current fiscal year.
According to finance officer Susie Moorhead the majority of that decrease is due to the removal of $300,000 for the owner-occupied housing rehabilitation project. However, not participating in that project also reduces expenditures by the same amount.
Other factors include a decrease in valuation for the upcoming fiscal year, amounting to $52,350 in tax revenues, along with a decrease in the sale of recyclable materials.
City Administrator Butch Niebuhr says a lot of the talk at Monday’s budget work session for the council was about possible changes in the way the city collects recycling material. Options discussed include increasing garbage fees or possibly outsourcing the job to another company.
The budget needs to be approved, certified and sent to the state by March 15th.