CLEVELAND, GA - City officials in Cleveland have adopted a fiscal year 2013 budget that dips into reserve funds.
The council approved a general fund budget of $2.3 milllion and a water and sewer fund budget of $1.9 million. The approval was made Monday night following a second public hearing.
In order to meet the budget, council will pull money from reserve funds, hold off on major equipment purchases, leave some open positions and forgo about $50,000 in improvements at city park.
As with most jurisdictions, Mayor Don Stanley said Cleveland saw a revenue decrease of about $8 million because of decreased property values. Despite the tight budget, Stanley said residents should see a small decrease in city tax bills because of those lower property values.
After approving the budget, council agreed they may need to revisit water and sewer rates in about six months. Stanley said it's possible officials might have to look at a slight increase there. He said those funds are also affected by the economy.
"New buildings and new things that are going online that will want water and sewer, there’s nothing there that’s going to change that," Stanley said.
