Budget

City Council Approves Keokuk Budget

Jason Parrott — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:47:56 +0000

Keokuk’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year is on its way to the state.

Lee County Eyes Tax Rate Reduction

Jason Parrott — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:08:01 +0000

Lee County’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2013 offers mixed messages when it comes to the county’s financial outlook.

Burlington Addressing Finances

Jason Parrott — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:52:08 +0000

Burlington is taking steps to get its financial house in order.

Keokuk Administrators Observe Classes

Jason Parrott — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 22:21:51 +0000

Administrators within the Keokuk School District spent more time in the classrooms, last year, as part of a program aimed at observing teacher and student performance.

The 2011/2012 school year marked the second year for the eWalks program.

Business Manager Greg Reynolds says the program requires administrators to conduct brief, unannounced visits into classrooms throughout the district.

Carthage Budget Might Require Cuts

James Lenz — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:57:11 +0000

Carthage Mayor Jim Nightingale said budget projections for the general fund next fiscal year are lower than he would like.

He said, “That's something that we will have to address and present to the council. I think there's some items we're going to have to reduce the expenditures.”

Nightingale likes to see between $250,000 and $300,000 in the general fund. The projections are closer to $260,000.

He said the overall budget will be $1.2 million.

Burlington Schools Form Boundaries Committee

Jason Parrott — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:37:55 +0000

The Burlington School District is going back to the drawing board when it comes to reshaping school boundaries.

Superintendent Jane Evans says the district’s elementary enrollment is out of balance. She says, for example, North Hill has too many students while Blackhawk is running well below capacity.

The district estimates that 14% of its elementary school students do not attend their neighborhood school. In response, it identified a neighborhood where students could change schools to help balance out the enrollment figures.

Central Lee Budget Approved

Jason Parrott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:27:27 +0000

Superintendent John Henriksen says the Central Lee School District’s budget for the 2012/2013 school year is quite comparable to the district’s current budget.

The school board certified the roughly $14-million dollar spending plan Monday night.

Henriksen says the spending plan is just a couple hundred thousand dollars larger than the current budget. He says the budget’s general fund sits at around $10-million, though he believes the final expenditures will come in at around $9-million.

Keokuk School Budget Approved

Jason Parrott — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:32:07 +0000

The Keokuk School Board has signed off on the district’s roughly $32-million spending plan for the upcoming school year.

One of the highlights is the fact that the property tax rate will drop by 73-cents, or nearly 4%. The district’s share of property tax bills are not expected to fall by 4%, though, because of the residential rollback.

City Buying Middle School

Jason Parrott — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:19:48 +0000

The West Burlington School District has agreed to sell its former middle school to the city for just $1.

Superintendent Dave Schmitt says this is the best option for the entire community.

“We could have gotten $5,000-$10,000 for the building,” says Schmitt, “but then there could have been that risk that it become dilapidated or an eyesore for our community.”

The city plans to tear down the former school at 211 Ramsey Street so several new homes can be built, one of which would be targeted to low-income families.

Keokuk Approves City Budget

Jason Parrott — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:28:21 +0000

Keokuk’s budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2012 attempts to get the city back on track when it comes to equipment and infrastructure.

The city council has approved the roughly $29-million spending plan after working on it for several months and holding multiple Saturday workshops.

The numbers show that most departmental budgets will be at or just slightly above their level in the current city budget.

Mayor Tom Marion says holding down spending was one goal for the new budget.