City Anticipates $2.7 M Budget Shortfall for 2012-13

Early projections for the 2012-13 budget show the City of Trenton with about a $2.7 million shortfall according City Administrator Jim Wagner.

The projections for the coming year were presented to city council members during a special meeting Monday night.

Though the numbers are very rough, Wagner said it is safe to say the city will not be able to balance the coming budget without making cuts and cost saving decisions.

Budget cuts could come from a number of sources including, but not limited to, continuation of employee concessions, reduction of workforce, a hiring freeze and mandates provided by the state.

Wanger said no specific cuts were discussed at the meeting.

Besides cuts, there are other ways for the city to save money. Wagner said the city can continue to cuts costs by being more energy efficient.

Recently, the city received a grant to area with LED bulbs. The update could reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent.

When it comes to layoffs, Wagner said city officials including Mayor Kyle Stack have a commitment to keep all 132 city employees.

"She (Stack) will explore all the options and there are a number of options," Wagner said.

City Controller Christine Arnoczki said this year's budget was the most difficult to work on in her 12 years working for Trenton according to Wagner.

City officials brought in an outside company in February to help make the city more efficient and find ways to save money. Wagner said the low hanging fruit has been picked and new measures must be taken to balance the new budget.