Council to weigh budget proposal
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 1, 2015 1:46 PM
Goldsboro City Council will begin its work session at 5 tonight, and is expected to pass the city's budget during the regularly scheduled council meeting at 7 p.m.
The budget for fiscal year 2015-16, as it currently reads, will see funding cuts for several agencies and the implementation of a 1-cent tax increase.
Taxes will be raised from 65 to 66 cents per $100 of valuation if the budget passes as it currently reads. This is expected to bring the city an additional $212,000 in revenue, which will cushion the loss of $438,500 that will result from the elimination of privilege licenses and permits due to new state mandates.
Despite protests from agency leaders at the first council meeting regarding the budget on May 18, the cuts were left in the budget following a budget work session last week.
During tonight's work session, the council will discuss revising its policy on nepotism -- the hiring of immediate family to positions of employment with the city.
As the city's policy currently reads, employment of any person into a permanent position who is immediate family of the city's mayor, mayor pro-tem, a council member, the city manager, finance director, human resources director, city clerk or city attorney is prohibited.
The revision to the policy would prohibit the hiring of any immediate family member of the aforementioned positions, but remove the prohibition on hiring relatives of the city's finance director and city clerk.
The proposed revision would also remove the clause that prevents the policy from being retroactive in applying to current city employees. The revision also says that if a family member of a current employee of the city is elected to the city council, that employee will no longer have to resign within six months of his or her family member being elected to the council.
The policy update would also prohibit the hiring of anyone in a dating relationship with any city employee or anyone who shares a household with a city employee.
In other business, council also will consider the demolition of several city properties.
The properties include 1805 Ball St., 607 W. Chestnut St., 703 Corney St., 314 Fedelon Trail, 409 N. James St., 912 N. John St., 506 S. Leslie St., 410 Lime St., 604 W. Mulberry St., 700 Rudolph St., 415 S. Slocumb St. and 417 S. Slocumb St.
Bids for the demolition of the properties were publicly opened on May 4, and the low bid was submitted by AK Grading and Demolition Inc. for $79.330.
The council is expected to award the bid to AK Grading and Demolition with the passing of the consent agenda at tonight's meeting.
The city council work session begins at 5 p.m. in Room 206 of the city hall annex, and the regularly scheduled meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.