The Scottsbluff City Council and City Department heads joined City Manager Kevin Spencer as he presented the entire proposed budget for next year in full.
Spencer says the goal of Thursday’s budget workshop was to provide the general highlights of the budget, discuss capital improvement projects, and some unavoidable increases like insurance costs.
He tells KNEB News he took a very conservative approach to this year’s budget due to some moving parts. Both the city’s LB840 and Sales and Use Tax renewal will be left to the voters this November, as well as impacts from Gov. Pillen’s special session.
“Sales and use taxes ,that’s our entire 1.5% sales tax. And that’s how we fund city government,” says Spencer. “And that’s what keeps our property taxes as low as they are. You know, we got the second lowest mill levy in the state and it’s because of our sales and use tax. So we really want to see that be successful in November. It’s important to us and it’s important to the community for sure.”
The proposal will be subject to a budget hearing in early September where all the ordinances will be introduced. The current time line has the full budget being submitted to the state by the end of September.
