Ci Y borra
o Dudg t '
yet, de plte
ch rter
qulrment
�·""'e Bro
Shon of cash, without an ac­
counting of what been pent
this past year and QO budget for
the upcoming year, the city of
Benton Harbor has reverted to
past financial practices of bor­
rowing while missing financial
deadlines.
At the' Mond y, April 23,
s from water fund to keep going
Benton Harbor City Commis­
sion meeting the commission
gave City ManaFr Steve Man­
ning consensus approval -
taking no formal vote-allowing
finance director/lreUurer to bor­
row funds from the Benton Har­
bor Water Department and the
Permanent Public Improvement
Funds.
Manni ng said the .fund
would be used to meet general
fund's obligations until July,
when the ci ty receives property
tax monie . The city would be
paying 8 percent interest back
on the money, said Manning.
Commissioner Kerry Shan-
non said he could not go along
with the city borrowing. He said
he would rather see cutbakcs
and layoff instead. "I think we
are digging ourselves a hole."
MA NING SAID the, city
has already cut bee and more
cuts would put the city in
jeopardy.
"I don't oppose borrowing",
said Commissioner Charle
Yarbrough. but "I am opposed
to paying that interest."
Yarbrough aid when the
Water Department borrowed
money from the general fund,
they did not p y any interest
DDA considers own eltmlnatlon
Buy �arpet from
syor' brother
8y Bern e Bro
Among the items of busine
conducted by the Downtown
Development Authority (DDA)
'arid the Tax Increment Finance
Authority (TIFA) Boards at their
monthly meeting Wednesday,
April 18, w the purchase of
carpel from the Mayor's brother
the curing of rviee from the
DDA president. and planning
for their own possible elimina­
tion.
During the DDA Board
meeting, the Soard voted un· ru­
mously to authorized the
Finance Committee to recom­
mend to the So rd full payment
of billings up to but not exceed-
. ing a cost contingency f; tor of
10% of approved estimated
projec costs, before seeking full
Board review and re-allocation
on the total project.
Any project exceeding the
10% contingency f ctor is re­
quired to be presented as a
change-order for separate
review by the full Board prior to
any payment.
In other matters Christopher
Brooks, Chairman of th Board
aid, wi th the new Enterprise
Zone legislations being struc­
tured, the DDA and TIFA will
not be collecting revenues under
the arne guidelines.
MA YOR WILLIAM
WOLF id the city would have
to go back to the State wi th a
pian.
Brooks said, they would be
continuing what they are, doing,
but under a different format
where the city will share a cer­
tain dollar valu with the DDA
and TIFA on an annual basis for
a pccified number of years.
Brooks selec d two commit­
tee to work on pi n for.
DDA!I1FA. Committee A. Bob
Schultheis chairman, wouJd be
in charge of developing
projects, priori tie and cost for
the next three years. lssu they
would be working on include for
the DDA: Liberty Theatre
Project, Demolition Project,
Parking IAt Project, Riverview
Drive Project and the K-mart
Project (He th) and for the
, T1FA: Busines' Growth Center
and the.lmprovement Land As­
sembly.
On this committee, Brooks
said he would like to include
Mayor Wolf or the' City
Continued 0 Vag 16
back. He said if the money was
interest free, he w all for it.
n the pa 1 two years, the
commission has borrowed from
banks at this time of the year to
tide them over.
According to the city charter,
the commission should have al­
ready adopted the 1990-91
budget for the fisca! year that
begins July 1.
CITY MANAGER MAN·
NING said the budget was in
process but did not explain why
the charter deadline had, not
been met.
TIle charter require a budget
estima of .all income and ex­
penditures of the citX for the up­
coming year to be presented to
the commission by the second
meeting in March. '
The budget estimate is to
show a summary of expendi­
tures and receipts for each fund
for the urrent through March I, .
and �t year showing increases
or decreases of each line item.
In addition, an estimate of
what will be received and spent
for March, April, May and June
i to be included. Statements of
the city'S financial conditions,
debts, anticipated income are
among other item to be
presented the commi ion for
tudy. .
A public hearing on the
proposed budget is to be held by
the third Monday in April with­
adoption of the budgct hy the
first meeting in May, according
to the charter mandates.
In other business. tthe Mon­
day night meeting. the commi -
ion gave Manning consensus
approval allowing the land at the
comer of Market, Colfax and
8th Streets to be used for the
Annual Blo omlim Carnival.
The property is the site where
Michigan Departm nt of Social
Service plans to construct their
new office.
I THE PAST few years the
carnival was held in the old K­
man Store parking lot on River­
view drive, but recently the
Heath Company purchased th
property.
In other matters Manning ex­
pressed his gratitude to William
Sinclair, City Manager of St.
Joseph. for making a way for
Benton Harbor to receive
$250,000 in TwinCat Fund
(Twin Ciw: Are Transporta­
tion), torepair Empire Avenue.
The funds came from mon y
that was targeted for the
Langley Avenue Project. in St.
Joseph, said MaMing, but the
project w delayed,"so out of
the goodnes of hi heart,
Sinclair made a motion that the
funds be made available to the
City of Benton H rbor."
In other business the city
commi ion voted to:
- Relocate a water main on
V lIey Drive for Harbor Metal
Treating Co., on Fair .Avenue.
The water main would cost the
city $125,000, but Manning id
he hope that the Economic
Development Corp., will give
the city a loan without intere '1.
- Revoke a lease is ued
the Blo omland Area Com­
munity Action Agency
(BACAA) for propertie at 559
Britain nd 240 Pipestone.
....
1
Sh
- THUR 16-7:30 FAl-s.t ..
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