Missoula council approves city budget By KEILA SZPALLER of the Missoulian Sept. 9, 2008 Yep, liberal Missoula City Council members adopted the 2009 city budget. Nope, conservative members didn't support it Monday night. When they failed to push through a hiring freeze, a couple of minority members also hurled insults. Ward 2 Councilman John Hendrickson said majority members “treat tax dollars as Monopoly money. It's beyond my comprehension.” And “bless their pretty little heads,” said Ward 5 Councilman Dick Haines, but “they see you (property taxpayers) as ATMs.” Mayor John Engen asked council members to be “mature” and play nice. But Ward 1 Councilman Dave Strohmaier said the heated exchanges warmed the room - and he'd gotten chilly. He lent support to the 4.82 percent city property tax hike and said council members themselves weren't exempt from paying it. “I unabashedly support this budget, and it's not because I am cavalier with people's money,” Strohmaier said. Ward 3 Councilwoman Stacy Rye agreed. She said every year, council members who support a budget of any kind hear the same insults and empty arguments that Hendrickson and Haines leveled Monday. “I find those statements very egregious,” Rye said. “... There is no substance. Rather, we're being attacked personally.” Budget discussions livened up in August when the city's projected revenue for 2009 didn't line up with the Montana Department of Revenue's estimate. Conservatives began calling for deep cuts in the $43.2 million general fund, but the majority opted to keep all city staff on board and programs fully funded. The budget vote Monday mirrored that of the Budget Committee of the Whole, of which all councilors are members. The following five opposed the budget and taxes to fund it: Ward 2's Hendrickson; Ward 4 Councilors Lyn Hellegaard and Jon Wilkins; and Ward 5 Councilors Renee Mitchell and Dick Haines. The other seven councilors voted to
approve it. In fact, Ward 3 Councilman Bob Jaffe described the budget as conservative. The true increase imposed by the city was just 2.92 percent - barely keeping up with inflation, if at all, he said. As for the rest of the increase, he said voters already approved it at the ballot box. Jaffe said all in all, Missoulians get a bundle of city services for roughly $48 a month - way more than the cost of cable or an Internet hookup. “There's a huge amount of services that are provided,” Jaffe said. The city budget will cost a taxpayer $26 a year on a house worth $225,000. The general fund - mainly salaries - is $43.2 million. Monday night's 2009 resolution fixed total appropriations, transfers out and projected year-end balances for Missoula at $111.1 million. The budget season was a rough one, and Rye tipped her hat to city finance director Brentt Ramharter, calling him a “Boy Scout.” Copyright © 2008 Missoulian