By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington alderman are looking to raise a host of fees to help plug a $2.9 million deficit.
Interim City Manager Steve Rasmussen told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin the city has hundreds of fees for everything from building permits to special events and parking enforcement.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Rasmussen on WJBC.
“Some (fees) have not been adjusted for 10 or 15 years, and so what happens is you just keep getting more and more in the deficit because your fees don’t keep pace with your cost of doing business,” Rasmussen said.
The city council rejected a staff recommendation that business pay a $50 licensing fee every year, option for a one-time fee instead.
The council last month increased fees for trash services and cut back on bulk waste pickup. The city also plans to delay filling any job vacancies in city government for 90 days.
“There are positions we are not going to fill and let them go vacant for a while, so we’ll gain about $500,000 in what would have been cuts,” Rasmussen said.
Aldermen are expected to vote on the $208 million budget in two weeks.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
