The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Hamilton to seek tax hike

Council starts process after accepting fire union’s plan

Area entrepreneurs take lead role for small business owners
Updated 22 min. ago
Students injured after truck hits school bus
Updated 25 min. ago
Contech changes name, ownership structure
1:30 p.m.
Alleged shooter indicted on murder charge
12:58 p.m.
Interim to take over as new police chief
10:29 a.m.
> More headlines

By Richard Wilson, Staff Writer Updated 8:14 AM Thursday, July 23, 2009

HAMILTON — After approving concessions from the firefighters’ union, City Council took the first step toward putting a tax increase on the November ballot.

Council members unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday night, July 22, to ask the Butler County Auditor’s Office to certify the tax revenue that would be generated from a 6.13-mill levy. Additional votes will be necessary to put such a tax increase on the November ballot.

The city’s cash surplus is currently about $3 million, but is projected to sink to around $1 million by the end of 2009, said Finance Director Bill Moller. Expenditures still outpace revenue and at some point the surplus is going to disappear, Moller added.

Talk of a tax increase came after council members voted 4-3 in favor of the fire union’s offer of concessions.

The contract with the International Association of Firefighters Local 20 will be amended to incorporate various concessions amounting to about $1.1 million that the union offered to help the city reduce costs.

Council’s vote extends the union agreement to the end of 2012, which proved to be a divisive issue for council members.

Councilman Ed Shelton voted for the measure, but stated beforehand that he knew it was the wrong thing to do.

“I don’t think police gave up nearly enough. I don’t think fire gave up nearly enough,” Shelton told the crowd, which included several Hamilton firefighters in uniform sitting in the front row.

Councilwoman Carla Fiehrer, Vice Mayor Pat Moeller and Councilwoman Kathy Becker — who also supported the measure — all said it was the right thing to do at this time. Moeller encouraged both police and fire unions to remain flexible and open-minded as the nation’s economic recession continues.

Councilman Archie Johnson, Mayor Don Ryan and Councilman Jim Noonan all voted against the measure.

Share this article