The wait is over for the proposed budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. After the City Council postponed its decision on the budget during last week’s meeting, members unanimously voted yes on the proposal during Tuesday’s special session.

The City Council planned the meeting in advance to give the budget’s approval some significance, choosing to address the item alone instead of among dozens of others in a regular meeting.

Mayor Randy Roach said there are a number of things to be proud of in the budget, one of them being the finer details of the city’s revenue points. “We’re making more money off of our utility franchises than we are off of our property taxes,” Roach said. “That’s significant.”

He said the difference between the two may not be great, but it is a factor worth noting in a city trying to expand its revenue sources. The meeting was open to the public, but with sparse attendance Roach decided to hold off on pointing out some of the more intricate details in the budget.

“I would have gotten into it if there had been a larger crowd,” Roach said. “The council was ready to vote on it. They’ve seen the budget letter and they’re accustomed to the process, so they were ready to go.”

(American Press Archives)

Eric Cormier / American Press