Jun. 20--THOMASVILLE -- The City of Cairo has adopted an operating budget for its new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The Cairo City Council unanimously approved $36,089,170 for FY2010 this week, City Manager Chris Addleton said Friday. This is a decrease from last year of approximately $600,000.

A called meeting was held 5:30 p.m. Monday for adoption of the budget and introduction of the budget ordinance. Another called meeting was held 5:30 p.m. Thursday for final adoption of the budget ordinance.

"I think we have a solid, conservative budget," Addleton said.

Councilman Jimmy Douglas, a member of the city's finance committee, said it is "a lean budget."

"We've got some uncertainties out there with utilities sales and some of our large customers," he said Friday. "We've had to come up with a lot of extra money for health insurance and retirement contributions this year, too."

The city, as previously reported in the Times-Enterprise, is seeing a 90 percent increase, or $344,000, over last year in retirement contribution, due to the decline in the investment pool.

Health care insurance also went up 39 percent, or approximately $300,000, from last year.

Costs were cut "pretty much across the board" to accommodate these changes, city officials said.

There is an increase in commercial garbage collections of one dollar from $9 per yard to $10 and CNS cable television rates did increase this year, approximately four to six dollars, depending on the level of service.

"Cable TV did go up but that is not a necessity like electric, sewer and water utilities," Douglas said.

There are no salary or wage increases in the budget.

"There are no raises or anything and it is disappointing not to be able to do that, but it is just one of those things we are not able to do this year," Douglas said. "But, we're not having to lay anyone off or terminate jobs, which is good. At this point, we think we can make it without doing that."

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