WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. May 10, 2006: Tonight's city budget meeting has been cancelled, City Hall confirms. No reason has been given for the cancellation. Benjamin Boykin, Councilman, speaking to WPCNR did not give an reason for the budget meeting being cancelled, and said he was putting the finishing touches on the City Budget & Management Committee recommendation letter this afternoon, but declined to reveal the committee recommendations. Asked if the council was seriously considering a butcher job on the budget or a gourmet chef's fillet of the Mayor's $146.3 Million budget, Boykin said the decision on the budget would be made May 17, without answering the question, or even saying the council was considering "cuts." He said they were trying to cut the tax rate.

Thomas Roach, another Councilperson noted to WPCNR that there was "no rush" and there were still some questions left unanswered, but Mr. Roach declined to say if cutting the budget was on the table. Asked if a freeze on administration wages was being considered, Roach declined to comment. Mr. Boykin was asked if wage freezes for Commissioners and non-union Managers was on the table, and refused to comment one way or another, saying that was a personnel matter. However, the Mayor's plans for wage increases for all his commissioners are usually withheld from the Budget Book purposely every year and it is only through efforts of tenacious reporting that the raise increases are extracted from the media-shy City Administration. Raises for the City Hall "brain trust" have averaged approximately 4% a year since Mr. Delfino came into office. A similar wage increase this year would cost about $600,000.

The Budget Committee meeting originally scheduled for this evening will be held May 17 at 6 P.M.