Smithville city employees will get a one percent cost of living raise as part of a bare-bones municipal budget hashed out by the board of mayor and aldermen during a pair of budget meetings this past week.

The budget does not include an increase in taxes or user fees. Taxes will remain unchanged, staying at 64.9 cents per $100 in assessed property.

City leaders nixed most of the requests for extra funding such as a plea by city fire and city police for extra full-time officers. They also shot down a request to buy a pair of used police cars and a pickup truck for the public works department. The city will buy a utility truck for the water and sewer department and fund building a wrought iron fence to protect the veteran’s monument at Greenbrook Park, where thieves stole the bronze stars from the monument last year. A private fundraising effort will allow the stars to be replaced; however, they are waiting for the protective fence before installing the replacements.

At the heart of the no-frills budget is the fact the city has spent more than it has brought in the last couple of years. The negative cash flow; however, has been brought about by the purchases of fire engines and a garbage truck, items that are not normally on a yearly budget.

As it stands today, the city will be in the red approximately $542,769 by the end of the coming fiscal year in 2019. Had the requests for spending made by department heads been approved in total, the deficit would have been over $800,000.

The budget is expected to be officially adopted July 2 when the board of mayor and aldermen meet for a second reading at 6 p.m. at city hall.