If city officials aren't able to reduce a $105,406 budget gap, they may give tentative approval to a 2014 tax increase next week.
"We're going to try to squeeze the revenues as much as we can. There could be a tax increase of one mill, but no more," city Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Thursday at the second public workshop on the 2014 budget at City Hall.
"Worst case scenario, we're looking at one mill," Councilman Michael P. Halcovage, head of the city finance committee, said.
"At least it won't be more than that," city Clerk Julie D. Rescorla said.
"The maximum will be one mill or less," said Mayor John D.W. Reiley.
The council is expected to give tentative approval to the budget at a public meeting 3 p.m. Wednesday at council chambers.
"This will just be the first reading of the budget. We can always amend it before the year end. Anybody else have any ideas?" Halcovage asked.
"Tom and Julie, you have your marching orders," the mayor said.
"We'll march," Palamar said.
The city's last tax increase was a 1-mill increase for the 2009 budget. Instead of raising taxes in 2013, the council approved a $8,038,888 spending plan in December 2012 by laying off one full-time police officer.
The current millage rate is 18.47 mills, or $18.47 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
"The revenue generated from a 1 mill tax increase would equal $171,125," Palamar said.
On Monday, the council was anticipating $8,026,146 in expenditures and $7,733,089 in revenues - a budget gap of $293,057 for 2014.
By Thursday, city officials had whittled that down to $7,893,095 in expenditures and $7,742,689 in revenues.
On Monday, major issues discussed included the proposed replacement of well-worn vehicles for the fire and street departments.
Palamar said Thursday the city can afford two sport-utility vehicles for the fire department and a dump truck with a plow and a spreader box for the street department if those vehicles can be paid off over time.
Instead of putting $75,000 in the 2014 budget for the fire department vehicles, Palamar proposed putting $12,126 in the budget as a down payment on them.
"Mark, do you think there's a need for two vehicles at this time?" Halcovage asked Atkinson.
"Yes. Both of those vehicles are in bad shape. We have a lot of problems with them. The chiefs and duty officers have expressed their safety concerns with them. We had one break down at a recent Mount Carbon fire and it had to be repaired on scene," Atkinson said.
"We're at the point now with some of those vehicles that they've become a danger," Palamar said.
Instead of budgeting $145,000 for the new dump truck, Palamar proposed putting $19,823 in the budget as a down payment.
In the draft of the budget presented Thursday, the proposed personnel cost for the city police department was $3,090,413. At the workshop Thursday, Police Capt. Richard J. Wojciechowsky said he's not looking to increase that.
But taking into account recent changes in the force - earlier this year, Patrolman Brian Kotzmoyer retired and earlier this month, police Chief Joseph H. Murton V announced he would retire at the end of the year - Wojciechowsky asked if the police could hire another patrolman.
"Right now, we have 16 active officers for the patrol division. We have two captains. We have one detective. And the chief. And we have three officers on light duty. With another active officer on patrol, we'd have 17 active patrol instead 16," Wojciechowsky said.
Palamar said he believes the police department will be able to do that without increasing its budget.