Cambridge City councilors Michael Amick, left, and Gary Cole look at faint writing on former jail cell walls inside the town hall. Cambridge City Police Department housed inmates until 1955. Police have been using the former jail for evidence storage, but they had to remove everything for recent mold remediation. Chief Richard Roberts received council’s consent to remove a built-in cabinet and inmate beds to make the space more efficient. He provided a tour after council’s special July 23 meeting. Photo by Millicent Martin Emery

Cambridge City leaders are examining the town’s 2024 expenses line by line and trying to predict upcoming needs.

It’s the time of year for town officials to begin preparing their 2025 budgets for council and state approvals. 

Cambridge City leaders traditionally have collected fewer tax dollars than they’re entitled to charge residents. The town was about $40,000 under its maximum levy this year. 

However, at their July 23 meeting, they also discussed making sure they’re not overlooking maintenance needs, quality of life improvements or other investments that could attract growth.  

The five council members, Clerk-Treasurer Sherry Ervin, Town Attorney Bob Bever, Superintendent of Public Works Ken Risch, Police Chief Richard Roberts and Fire Chief Jeff Gabbard spent about 2 ½ hours analyzing this year’s spending to date and what 2024 funds remain.

They then considered what funds could be cut or boosted next year based on equipment needs or other priority projects.

Council members hope to give all employees a 3% raise if possible. Raises then require increased contributions to retirement and Social Security/Medicare too.  

Bever suggested that cuts needed to be made in other areas to cover police salaries and overtime, including their 3% raise. 

Bever recommended allocating $400,000 for police pay, an increase of $20,000. To do that, council supported reducing budgets by $5,000 each for expenses such as employee medical insurance and the percentage of some town employees’ pay coming from the general fund.  

Some workers’ pay comes from general, water and motor vehicle highway funds, while others also get paid through funds for other town expenses such as parks or cemetery maintenance if related to their duties. 

Residents’ property taxes cover about half the town expenses. Indiana supplies other income such as vehicle registrations and driver’s license fees, riverboat gambling proceeds, gasoline and cigarette taxes. Those 2025 amounts are still unknown. 

Other projected cuts included $2,500 from police fuel, $1,000 from fire department fuel and $1,000 from heat and electric expenses. Town officials are hopeful a new 2025 fuel contract will lead to savings.

A few suggestions include $1,000 boosts for incentive pay for volunteer firefighters to respond to an increasing number of calls, and grave digging in Riverside Cemetery.

Council also tentatively agreed to use $30,000 from its approximately $160,000 Economic Development Income Tax fund toward town planning.

Cambridge City receives about $55,000 per year in EDIT funds. Councilor Jim King favors updating zoning ordinances and studying whether any annexation could be beneficial for growth, or learning if adding services such as sewers would be too costly.

Council’s next public meeting will be 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, in town hall, 127 N. Foote St. 

In other business

Cambridge City will pay half the $6,850 for two radar speed signs from American Rescue Plan Act funds. The other half comes from the general fund, which Cambridge City Main Street will reimburse. The town needs to finalize spending for remaining ARPA funds by Dec. 31. Priorities are the fire station’s roof and a new performance venue.  

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A version of this article appeared in the July 31 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.

Millicent Martin Emery is a reporter and editor for the Western Wayne News.