March 20th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The Cumberland Mayor and City Council received a preliminary overview of the FY 2020 budget during a public work session on Tuesday- and while presently the numbers show a small deficit- it is anticipated that it won’t be an issue. Comptroller Ken Tressler and Administrator Jeff Rhodes provided the numbers- which at this point reflect a deficit of about $200,000.  Just a few years ago the city was looking at a deficit of $2.7 million which led to a 9.7% tax hike.  Tressler and Rhodes both down played the current shortfall- confident that it can be addressed by implementing a few adjustments. Mayor Ray Morriss said it’s important to have a clear picture of the needs of each city department as the budget process gets underway…

 

When the tax increase was implemented two years ago, it was done so with a pledge to immediately begin examining ways to reduce the rate in future years. That hasn’t happened yet, and even though the fiscal picture has improved, it’s still probably too soon to consider looking at a tax cut….