City Controller unveils some options available to help with looming budget issues

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Several options are on the table for how the city of Fort Wayne deals with its looming budget issues: one involves a tax hike.  Since property taxes were capped in 2009, the city controller said the Summit City has lost $53 million.  By next year the city will have a deficit of about $11 million.

Tuesday night was the first of many meetings to help decide what's the best way to deal with the city's budget problems.  Some of the solutions presented may require a little extra money out of your pocket and modifications to city employees' benefits.

Property tax caps have made balancing budgets for cities in Indiana difficult.  Tuesday night at City Council, a framework of options on how the city could resolve budget problems was unveiled.

"We will make choices based on what we hear from the people, from Chamber of Commerce, from other constituents in Allen County," City Council At Large John Crawford said.

Here's what was presented before City Council:

•     Raise income tax by a half of a percent
•     Add 20 new police officers and 15 firefighters to reduce overtime costs and meet needs.
•     Use portion of Legacy funds for neighborhood street and road improvements
•     Revise the benefits package that employees receive to cut costs
•     Move fire protection fees from the property tax bill to City Utilities bill
•     Explore annexations
•     Reduce operating expenses by $5 million and maintain a cash reserve of $10 million

"The average taxpayer will be paying probably somewhere around $10-$12 more a month in order to maintain the services," Fort Wayne City Controller Pat Roller explained.

Decisions won't be made until June.  Next month the public will be able to voice their suggestions and concerns.

"We can choose no changes, but then we have to make the large cuts.  So, people are going to have to tell us what they want," Crawford said.

City Controller Pat Roller said it's going to take a little help from everyone not just taxpayers to get the city back on track. If no changes are made that means large cuts, layoffs, and fewer services available to citizens.

Format of Rollout

• Tuesday, March 12 - Discuss reduction of the City budget by $5 million
• Next week - Discussion of income taxes
• March 26th - Discussion of all other options identified in framework
• April/May - Public input
• June - Legislative changes