Columbia Falls council crunching budget numbers

The Daily Inter Lake

It's number-crunching time for the Columbia Falls City Council, which has five public hearings Monday related to budget matters.

Two of the hearings consider proposed levies of assessments for water and sewer improvements. Special Improvement District 34 includes Fifth Avenue and the alley between Fourth and Fifth avenues; Special Improvement District 36 covers the south end of Fourth Avenue. Both projects are related to the city's rebuild of Fourth Avenue.

A third hearing will take comments on a permissive medical-tax levy increase to pay for the city's contributions to city employees' health-insurance premiums.

Street lighting and street maintenance assessments for the next year are the focus of a fourth hearing. Street maintenance fees will remain unchanged from last year, and lighting assessments will decrease slightly.

The council mops up the housecleaning on last year's budget with a hearing to make some final adjustments.

The preliminary budget is up for discussion under new business.

Other agenda items include a bid award for City Hall boiler piping, a proclamation of Columbia Falls Aluminum Co.'s 50th anniversary, and the appointment of City Manager Bill Shaw as flood-plain administrator.