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Proposed Galesburg Budget Cuts Include Numerous Fee Increases
Galesburg's top non-elected executive says there will have to be a lot of changes in order to cut what he projects to be an almost $1.5 million budget deficit in the coming year.

City Manager Dane Bragg made the first part of his budget presentation to aldermen Monday night -- a discussion on capital projects will come in a few weeks.

But Bragg says due to declining tax revenues almost across-the-board, and expenses rising, a $23 million budget right now has a $1.4 million deficit.

Bragg says part of his proposal includes raising many fees.

"Several of these fines have not been increased in 20 years or more," Bragg said. "So we feel that the time is now, that we should be looking at that. We probably ought to be looking at that more than every 20 or so years, quite frankly, because a lot of these tickets are ridiculously cheap by comparison."

Bragg says that includes everything from administrative and parking tickets to bicycle violations and swimming pool permits.

He also wants to raise liquor and other license fees, saying some of those haven't been touched in 20-years either.

Bragg is also calling for a voluntary separation incentive program for all city employees, and not filling some positions already open, and wants to close Lake Storey Beach and turn it into a marina with rental boats and docks, among other things.

The budget for the fiscal and calendar years is still a few months away from a council vote.
09 09 09 by Newsroom
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