Mayor Dave Cieslewicz emphasized a steady budget with minimal tax increases, small cuts and a ""great deal of cooperation from city employees"" when he introduced his 2010 Executive Operating Budget Tuesday morning.
""We're going to get through this together,"" he said.
Home owners will face a property tax increase of 3.85 percent, but it is less than the 4.3 percent average over the course of the last 15 years.
""It's more than I would like, but it is better than the alternatives of basic service cuts or doing damage to our long-term fiscal stability,"" Cieslewicz said in a statement.
The mayor will continue his city hiring freeze, which has been in place since May, through 2010 to help increase salary savings.
Cieslewicz will also cut the travel budget by one-fifth of last year's costs, and will encourage voluntary furloughs.
In addition, city unions will have to face zero pay increases for the next two years. At the end of the two-year contract there will be a 3 percent increase.
""I think it's a very responsible contract,"" the mayor said.
According to Cieslewicz, the city has already seen cooperation from the Fire Fighters Local 311 union, which will be the first union to settle.
""We want to ensure that everyone has a job ... we're looking out for the other people in the community,"" Joe Conway, president of the union, said. ""We're here to serve. We don't want the city to dig itself into a hole.""
Cieslewicz also promised no cuts in the city's community service and community development block grant programs.
Due to the harsh economy, city revenues are well below what was projected in the 2009 budget.
""They're all down dramatically ... even worse than we predicted,"" Cieslweciz said.
However, according to the mayor, the city currently has a long-term savings account of $30 million to fall back on when the city finishes the year $2 to $4 million in debt.
