Ishpeming City Budget Process

The city of Ishpeming needs to approve its budget for the 2013 fiscal year by the end of November, and the city council continued working on it tonight.

It held a budget workshop where questions came up about possible staff reductions for next year.

Council member Claudia demarest asked where any cuts would come from, saying the public works and police departments can’t afford to take any more hits.

City manager Jered Ottenwess said any decisions about cuts would need to involve the council.

The city council will likely have another hearing on the budget before adopting it.

Mayor Pat Scanlon said job cuts are not built in, but the council will probably have to at least consider them and that was why Ottenwess brought them up.

Scanlon and John Stone are leaving the council because of term limits.

Newly-elected council members Mike Tonkin and Dave Williams will be sworn in at the December meeting, and Mike Tall will also take over as mayor at that time.