City of Morgantown Working on 2013-2014 Budget - WBOY.com: Clarksburg, Morgantown: News, Sports, Weather

City of Morgantown Working on 2013-2014 Budget

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By Andrew Clay, Monongalia and Preston County Reporter - bio | email

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The city of Morgantown is looking for ways to make up a nearly $2 million drop in revenue for the 2013-2014 budget.

The city's projected budget is roughly $23 million.

Tuesday night, Interim City Manager Jeff Mikorski asked council to consider raising the city's fire service fee 10-percent.

He said it could bring in an extra $210,000 and would cost residents about $11 a year.

"There is no more room for us to be able to cut anything more," Mikorski said. "So the solutions we've come up with are to critically look how we're spending money."

Mikorski said the city will also look at suspending cost of living adjustment for employees.

He added that the revenue drop has a number.

A capital lease the city had in the 2012-2013 budget added an extra $1 million to that budget. It's revenue the city won't have in the 2013-2014 budget.

Business and Occupation Construction taxes are also projected to be down due to a lack of scheduled projects, and an issue in wine and liquor tax collection at the state level is costing the city money as well.

Mikorski said the city needs to present the budget to the state at the end of March.