SL Council approves slight decrease in preliminary levy
The Silver Lake City Council set the 2015 preliminary general fund tax levy at $372,888, down from the $375,917 approved for 2014.
City Clerk Kerry Venier highlighted changes in the budget and noted there is a 3.5 percent increase in both the revenues and expenditures funds.
Initially, the preliminary budget showed a decrease of 3.7 percent in the general tax levy from 2014, but Venier noted a request to increase wages in the police department fund.
Police Chief Forrest Henriksen explained that in comparison to other cities of the same size and population, Silver Lake is on the low end of the pay scale for its police department, which contributes to the lack of interest and turnover in the force.
Henriksen said he is working on a wage study of other cities to appropriately add to the budget to “catch up” to departments of like-size.
See the full story in the Sept. 17 edition of The Chronicle.