HORSE CAVE — City council members expressed mixed emotions Monday night after reviewing the city’s 2009-10 proposed budget with Mayor Odell Martin.

The special-called meeting was to be a working session for the council to interject their opinions regarding the budget, but one council member said it was anything but that.

“I was just under the impression we were going to work on the budget tonight, just not have the mayor read it to us. I mean I can read for myself,” said Councilman Jason England. “I really would have liked to have had this time to work on the budget. If we had questions, we should have been able to ask them and not just be read to.”

The city’s proposed 2009-10 budget will leave the city with an estimated $700 at the end of the fiscal year. According to the proposed budget, the city will have $783,405 in total receipts and $792,111 in total expenses. The remaining money is carryover funds from previous years.

Councilman Randall Curry said he thought the proposed budget was workable.

“I really think the budget is pretty close. It’s going to take some tweaking in order for us to get it to where we want it to be,” he said. “It’s

certainly something we can work with.”

Councilwoman Sue Nunn agreed, and said, “There are some things that will have to be talked about. We can work with it.”

Councilwoman Joanne Smith, however, declined to make a comment regarding the budget.

City Clerk Ann Matera went over the budget first explaining the totals in each fund and was followed by Martin who also reviewed it with the council and made suggestions on how the city’s money should be spent.

“I think it’s a good budget,” Martin said, but added it was up to the council to make the final decision.

Included in the budget is a 4 percent pay increase for Matera and Licensing Clerk Brenda Crain. The increase will bring Matera’s salary up from $29,490, that was budgeted for the 2008-09 fiscal year, to $30,784 for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Crain’s salary will increase from $20,150 to $20,842.

Four of the city’s full-time policemen are also scheduled to get a pay increase, with Chief Alan Shirley and Assistant Chief Joe Middleton receiving the largest pay increase of $2.58 per hour bringing their salaries up from $12.93 per hour to $15.51 per hour. Two other policemen will receive a $2.51 per hour pay increase, while a fifth one will receive no pay increase.

Martin said he realized that $15.51 per hour may seem like a big pay raise, but he pointed out that the pay increase brings Horse Cave’s police salaries in line with those of surrounding towns. He also noted that the policemen have not had a pay increase for the past two years.

The mayor suggested the city only pay for city employees and not thier families.

Councilman David Lindsey said he would like more information regarding health insurance options available to city employees, before making a decision.

Other suggestions made by Martin during the meeting involved how the city would spend $70,000 it is anticipating from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage from the ice storm that occurred earlier in the year.

Martin proposes using $16,000 to buy a chipper to mulch tree limbs and other debris from the ice storm; $15,000 for a Gator truck for the cemeteries; and $20,000 for the paving of lanes passing through the Main Street Cemetery.

He also hopes to use some of the money to place a gazebo near the traffic light where the Owens Hotel once stood at the intersection of U.S. 31-W and E. Main Street.

In addition to the gazebo, the mayor proposed using $40,000 of the city’s payroll tax money to fund the construction of a permanent stage on the hotel property.

“I think it’s a great idea to do that,” Martin said.

He also suggested the city apply for grant funding for the stage construction, and if the city is unable to secure any grants for the project then it can use money set aside in the payroll tax fund.

Martin also proposed paving city streets and paying off the principal owed on the Thomas House, a historic home that is rented out for a variety of events. He also suggested the council form a committee to decide how best to use the Thomas House.

“We need to find a use for it that will benefit the downtown area,” he said.

At one point during the discussion, Smith left the meeting but she returned a short time later.

The council is scheduled to meet in special session Thursday at 6 p.m. to discuss the budget again, and possibly approve on first reading an ordinance adopting it. A third special-called session is set for June 30 also at 6 p.m. for final adoption of the budget.