No complaints on Havre budget, hearing is tonight

Havre City Council, in a whirlwind of approval Tuesday night, heard no complaints or comments on the $17 million preliminary city budget for next year during the first public hearing at the end of their regular council meeting.

The council will reconvene tonight at 6 p.m. for one more hearing and a final reading of the budget.

Tonight's hearing will also hear votes on annual renewal of local taxes to pay for municipal maintenance on streets, street lights, the sewer system and maintaining the dike that keeps Bull Hook Creek out of town.

The budget is mostly unchanged, or within a few percentage points, from last year's budget.

The amount of property taxes given to the city's ambulance services halved this year, after a price increase last year. City Clerk Doug Kaercher said it should be self-sufficient next year.

The city is also increasing spending on technology, following steps already taken including increased web focus, accepting credit cards and a recent police department server upgrade.