Proposed ordinance would cut 2009's budget

City council members discussed the 2009 Appropriation Ordinance and natural gas aggregation at last night's committee meeting and special session.

Councilman Jim Sands, D-At-large, presented an ordinance to decrease the city's 2009 budget by about $460,000 with the plan of decreasing the budget by a total of $1 million later in the year.

If adopted, the ordinance will cut from the General Fund and the Sewer Fund, said Athens City Auditor Kathy Hecht. The new budget would still be more than 2008's budget, but not significantly more, Hecht said.

The city needs to have enough money to pay for expenses going into 2010 and the current budget is not allowing that, she added.

Supplies and services are the main place you want to cut

capital projects no new trucks no new computer equipment

things like that. You don't want to cut employees so the important thing is to the cut the other areas now so we don't get to the end of the year and don't have the money and have to say 'OK

we're laying off

' she said.

City officials may not hire as many part-time employees this summer as they have in the past to make up for the budget, she said.

The ordinance will move to second reading next week and Sands said he probably will move for suspension of the rules for the ordinance to be voted on them.

Next week, they will vote on an ordinance to put an issue on the May ballot that will allow council to pursue natural gas aggregation, said Councilman Elahu Gosney, D-At-large.

With natural gas aggregation, the city would be able to combine all of its gas customers and negotiate lower prices with different companies, Gosney said. Citizens would not be required to participate and could stay with their current provider.

Gosney introduced Brenda Coffey, an aggregation specialist with Integrys Energy Services, a company that helps cities work through the process of pursuing gas aggregation. Although, Integrys is not officially working for the city, the company will work to inform voters about the issue free of charge and under no contract, Coffey said.