BUHLER, Kan. — Like all other government entities, the city of Buhler is also looking to trim some of the budget for the rest of the fiscal year. The City Council will hear a presentation from City Clerk Merrill Peterson about proposed cuts during Tuesday’s regular meeting.
Peterson says he expects to see a drop in sales tax revenue and other sources of income over the next six to nine months. A drop in revenue of 20% is not out of the question and such a drop would mean about $53,000 from the budget. While that number doesn’t sound large, it is when you are dealing with a budget of only $1.6 million.
Peterson says he is confident they can find the money either by deferring a street project, which would just about cover the entire potential shortfall, or by making some cuts elsewhere. He said for right now he is not looking at any furloughs of staff.
Peterson says it really is too early to tell how much financial impact the economic downturn will have, noting that a community as small as Buhler faces things differently than a larger city like Hutchinson.
Also Tuesday, the council will consider fees for the swimming pool and take action on a request from IdeaTek to erect an antenna on top of the city water tower.
Tuesday’s meeting of the Buhler City Council beings at 7 p.m.