City Council tables $3.9 million budget for further inspection

The Libby City Council on Tuesday tabled the measure to approve the $3.9 million proposed city budget after deciding it needed more inspection, setting a special budget committee meeting for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12 at City Hall for further discussion at 6 p.m. and final budget approval at 7 p.m.

The final budget proposes $3,910,188 for 2016-17, down a whopping 65 percent from the previous year’s budget of $11,271,626. Libby Clerk and Treasurer Audray McCollum said this is due to the end of incoming federal money received for funding the Flower Creek Dam. Even with the decrease, McCollum said the 2016-17 budget will not raise property taxes for city residents.

The budget hearing lasted an hour Tuesday night before the regularly scheduled council meeting. Several Libby residents asked questions during the public comment section. Arlen Magill started the hour off with 24 minutes of questions, which were in turn answered not primarily by City Council members, but McCollum, who managed the budget up to its final proposal form, with a handful answered by Council member Peggy Williams.

Libby resident Rob Hubbard during public comment pointed to his concern with McCollum voicing answers about the budget.

“Fundamental problem here is that Audray’s not voting on the budget,” he said. “The focus has been on Audray trying to bring some sense to this.”

During a public comment section of the regular meeting later that night, Hubbard noted that the city was about to pass a $4 million budget that few council members could be tested on, but in the regular meeting they had chosen to table a request to install Wi-Fi in City Hall because they weren’t sure of the cost of a router.

Gary Neff had four pages of questions prepared for the budget approval meeting. He asked about the need for several expenditures, specifically subscriptions and publicity, for which the city had budgeted $20,260 for the coming fiscal year. The city budgeted $22,750 on subscriptions and publicity last year (just $2,899 was spent with The Western News during that time).

After determining there was no liability consequence in delaying the budget approval (the county just has to wait now for the city to turn in the budget so taxes can be issued to residents), the tabling measure went to vote. Council member Gary Beach, who had been appointed to the seat within the hour, abstained from the vote, citing a lack of knowledge of the budget to make an adequate decision. Teske, as acting council executive in former Mayor Doug Roll’s absence, also did not vote.

Williams voted to approve the budget and Olsen voted against the approval. Holding the swing vote, Council member Brian Zimmerman took a moment before voting with Olsen to table the budget approval until a later date.

“There’s a lot that’s not understandable,” Zimmerman said. “It would be nice for another sit down with all of us.”

The council set a special budget committee meeting for Monday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The council will vote to adopt the budget at 7 p.m.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.