SCOTT CITY MAYOR: REVENUES FLAT, COSTS INCREASING

SCOTT CITY -- The municipal government continues to be plagued by a tight budget, Scott City Mayor Larry Forhan said Monday night.

"We'll get the bad news out of the way first," Forhan told the council in his "State of the City" address. "Revenues are flat and costs are increasing.

"There must be a shared sacrifice among all departments. We are in the midst of writing next year's budget; everyone is not going to get everything they asked for," he said.

Forhan said that many purchases, which have been put off for lack of money in the past year, will be dropped in light of an exceedingly tight budget.

One purchase that will not be delayed is a new fire truck, which the city expects to receive this fall.

Forhan also commended the efforts of the Citizens Cable Television Committee, formed this year in an attempt to resolve ongoing problems with Falcon Cable Television.

"The committee has done an excellent job in resolving some of the problems the city has been experiencing with its cable supplier," Forhan said. "In addition, they have saved the council countless hours of work and we all have learned a lot about our cable system and cable television. I sincerely hope they will continue their efforts in the future."

The mayor also commended the city's participation in the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association.

"Just a year ago, we were discussing whether or not to get involved with the organization," Forhan said. "Now I'm happy to report that we are a fully-paid member city of the group and look forward to future cooperation with the member cities."

Forhan also extolled the contributions of the city toward other cities, including the April 1 staffing of a Cape Girardeau fire station by Scott City firefighters while Cape firefighters were battling a blaze in the Town Plaza area.

In the area of Public Works, the mayor said that the city needs to seek out funds to resurface many of Scott City's streets.

"In this past year, we did not do any major resurfacing of streets," Forhan said. "But our luck will run out and we will require money to do some considerable street work in the future. We need some income strictly for a street repaving program."

As to law enforcement, the mayor told the council that Scott City boasts one of the lowest crime rates in Southeast Missouri. In addition, the city hopes to have an operative 911 emergency calling system in place by Nov. 1.

"The system we have acquired is the best we could afford to have," Forhan said. "It will be an asset to the police department and present a new challenge for our dispatchers."

In summary, the mayor stressed the need to draw new businesses into Scott City and to generate revenues to support the existing ones.

"This proposal has a dual purpose. We cannot afford to expand at the expense of any existing business," he said. "Scott City has come a long way, and hopefully will continue to improve.

"In the end, the limit is a financial one," Forhan said. "I hope we can rise to meet that challenge."