Council sets ’17 Moscow budget at $63.9 million. Moscow residents to be asked to OK a $10 million bond in the spring.
I’m all for supporting police & fire infrastructure. I’m concerned what this $10m will actually go to, however.
After little testimony during public hearings, City Council approved the fiscal year 2017 budget and fee resolution as it was written Monday night at City Hall.
The fiscal year 2017 budget, covering Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2017, is set at $73,875,804, pending a $10 million general obligation bond that was approved by City Council on Monday. To pass, the bond needs to be approved by at least 66.7 percent of Moscow voters in the spring.
If the bond is approved, then the $73.9 million budget will remain the same. If the public rejects the bond, the budget will shrink $10 million to $63.9 million, which is about the current fiscal year’s budget.
Mayor Bill Lambert said the city will host several workshops to discuss what the general obligation bond is and how it would be used before the public votes on it in the spring.
Lambert told the Daily News last week that much of the bond would be used to construct a new building for the police department. It would also help pay for new fire trucks, paving of roads, downtown infrastructure and playground construction in parks, Lambert said.
The pavement management program is due to get $700,000 in the 2017 budget, the most money ever dedicated to street maintenance.