10/13/10 The Argos Council held a public hearing for the 2011 budget last Wednesday night. The proposed budget is $1,280,000. This is a 3% increase over the 2010 budget. Eric Walsh, of Umbaugh & Associates, was present to answer any questions. Mr. Walsh did caution the Council if they did not take action now they would deplete the cash balance. The main reason for the caution is that this is the first year of the “circuit breaker” ruling to take effect. This is a cap on the property tax for residents. Argos will see a depletion of $50,000 from their tax revenues.
There was a discussion on what the town could do to combat the reduction. The Council discussed the possibility of cutting expenditures. This could include no leaf pick up in the fall, no picking up yard waste in the summer or future street paving projects. Also, wage and hiring freezes were suggested. The Council could work at raising the tax levee. The Council did some saving during the year with insurances and a rate increase in trash hauling. “What would Argos want, a cut in services or increase taxes?” asked George Null, Council President.
It was suggested to revisit next year’s budget for possibly more cuts. “If we do not change our habits we would deplete our cash reserves in three years.” said Council Member, Val Harley. A special meeting will be this Wednesday, October 13th, at 6 pm at the town building. This meeting is open to the public
