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Providence approves $1.8 million budget By
Heidi Thueson PROVIDENCE -- A public hearing on the general fund was held Tuesday during the City Council meeting. Recorder Skarlet Bankhead presented a proposed budget for the city that was approved unanimously by the council. Bankhead said the budget, which totals $1,861,160, is balanced. In the budget, $9,800 was set aside for sidewalk replacement, asphalt crack-and-seal projects, and storm drain repair. There was some discussion among council members about using some of the funds to buy a street cleaner, which would prevent much of the damage done to storm drains and save money in the end. The matter will be discussed more fully at future meetings. "Those who worked on this budget plan need to be congratulated for their efforts," said Councilman Vic Saunders. The budget also calls for $30,000 for public safety. This is an increase from the previous year, and the funds will go toward building inspections and emergency preparedness programs. Councilwoman Wendy Simmons said that she had done some research on the topic of emergency preparedness. Recently the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published a letter encouraging members of the church to establish a food storage plan. "Wouldn't it be in the interest of the community, regardless of their religious affiliation, to come up with at least some moderate food storage plan?" asked Saunders. Several other council members voiced their support of the issue, although no action was taken in this week's meeting. Council members Simmons and Deon Johnson were nominated and voted in unanimously to act as the appeals board for city employees. This was done because recently Brian Cox, a former employee of the public works water department, came forward with a complaint and there was some question as to the proper process for handling the situation. Current policy establishes that complaints are to be filed with the city employee's supervisor first. If the matter is not resolved, it can be escalated to the mayor and then the city council if needed. Cox told the council he approached Mayor Alma Leonhardt in late November with a complaint after his supervisor Dee Barnes was unable to settle the matter. Cox said the mayor refused to take the issue to the council. Leonhardt refuted Cox's statement, saying that while the specific complaint was not detailed on the agenda for the next council meeting, the topic was scheduled to be discussed in general terms. "I did have the right to appeal that to the mayor," said Cox. "I did have the right to appeal that to the council, and I was totally denied." "We were never asked to have an appeals," Saunders stated. No resolution was reached, and the topic was tabled until the March 12 meeting.
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