Council to discuss city budget

At the City Council meeting Tuesday night, Carbondale citizens will have their first opportunity to voice opinions on the city's proposed fiscal year 2006 budget for the first time since it was made public on March 19.

Citizens with concerns or recommendations about the budget can address city officials during the public hearing portion of the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Carbondale Civic Center. City Manager Jeff Doherty said the budget cannot be approved until the council knows how citizens feel about it. "It's been on public display for more than a week," Doherty said. "This is an opportunity for the public to voice their opinion on it."

The 2006 budget accounts for the fiscal year extending from May 1, 2005, until April 30, 2006. The proposed budget totals $38,632,304, which is more than $7 million less than the budget for the previous fiscal year. Most of the decrease in the amount comes from the completion of construction updating the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Mayor Brad Cole said the budget for the upcoming fiscal year is a pretty standard budget compared to what the city usually puts forth. "It's not anything that's extravagant," Cole said. "We're not generating a lot of new money; we're not spending a lot of new money. It follows closely previous budgets."

Cole said he and Doherty have been working since November with all of the departments in the city to come up with the budget before giving it to the council. The council will review the main priorities of what money goes where and eventually make a decision to approve it once it is to its liking.

Another item on the agenda is the consolidation of the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. On March 16, the Planning Commission had a public hearing to discuss the merger and voted 5-0 to support it. Doherty said it is a good idea to combine them because their jobs are similar. "It's streamlining," Doherty said. "We feel these two functions can be carried out by the same body."

Cole came up with the idea to combine the two bodies after having success in combining several other committees with similar functions. He said he thinks combining the smaller bodies makes for less hassle.

"We've eliminated and combined several other committees and boards, and this is really the last one that we have undertaken," Cole said. "It creates a smoother process."

The council also will discuss a recommendation to make an amendment to the Carbondale City Code that requires landlords to make mandatory provisions to their leases titled "Charges in Addition to Rent and Zoning Restrictions."

The Human Relations Commission recommended the council take action on this after having problems in the city with tenants signing leases and not realizing for what they were responsible. Cole said the amendment would make leases clearer. "It's just trying to allow people to have a little bit more understanding about the lease when they sign it," Cole said.

Cole said he hopes to discuss the issue Tuesday and delay voting until the next meeting so the council can survey public opinion before they vote. "That, I'm hoping, will just be discussion so we can get it out in front of the public and we won't actually vote on it until next month."