Louisville Aldermen Complete Budget- Apply Levy for Library & Employee Pay Increases

In a Monday night session, Louisville Aldermen completed the City's budget for fiscal year 2012-2013. No members of the public were in attendance as the Board completed the budget process. Aldermen considered two mil levy options that included a "status quo" budget with no change in the levy from the previous year and a budget that included a one (1) mil increase designated for the Winston County Library.
Alderman Dickie Caperton indicated that while he was a supporter of the library, he could not support any tax increase in this budget year due to the state of the local economy. Other Aldermen including Judy McLeod threw their support behind the one mil as it passed on a 4-1 vote. After the vote, McLeod noted, " I am really, really happy that this passed. The Library is something that is near and dear to my heart and this shows the community that we are progressive. We've done a good thing here."
 The city mil levy will change by only the one mil from 78.46 to 79.46 mils. As the Board reviewed the actual budget, members raised questions about several items including utility costs and the cost of yearly audits.
The Board also approved an average 3% pay raise for city employees. These pay increases must come out of budgets as they currently exist and no tax increase will be utilized for the pay increases. Some pay increases are not specifically set in the police and fire departments due to ongoing policy changes but should be completed soon.

W. McCully