Ferndale City Council Approves Two-Year Budget

Ferndale City Council voted to approve the fiscal years 2012-13 and 2013-14 budget at its meeting Monday night at .

The adjusted budget contained a millage rate increase of 3.5 mills for 2012-13, down from the May 7 recommendation of 3.75 mills, and 4.6 mills for 2013-14, down from the proposed 4.85 mills.

City Manager April McGrath said lowering contingencies by $100,000 and public improvement by $25,000 allowed for the adjusted millage rates.

The council , but refrained due to an issue with the scheduling of a public hearing, which instead took place Monday. However, no one from the community spoke during the comment period.

Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter praised the council’s work. “The staff did a lot of hard work in coming up with the creative ideas,” Coulter said during Monday's meeting. “This was another really challenging year.”

The city took a 7 percent reduction in revenue due to property value declines, which Coulter said made the approved budget's millage rates even more impressive.

“It could’ve been much worse,” Coulter said.

Councilwoman Melanie Piana commended the budget, which council began reviewing April 9.

“Our process went very well and smooth this year,” Piana said. “This was all about making sure that we had the right revenue to balance what we wanted to provide in services.”

Even with the budget approved, Ferndale continues to sacrifice, Coulter noted afterward.

“We’ve got the two-year budget, which means that next year is just as tight as this year,” Coulter said. “We’ll keep working on it and keep trying to keep the budget as small as possible.”

For a detailed breakdown of the new budget, visit the city's website.