Belleville has begun days of deliberations on a 94-point-one million dollar budget for 2009. The base figure doesn’t include user pay issues of water, sewer and parking. Councillors approved facility rental fee increases for winter and summer, a bus increase for all except seniors, and 200-thousand dollars for a mandatory asbestos study. Mayor Neil Ellis says the city departments have held to a one-percent increase…other outside agencies may be higher, and the police budget shows a 5-percent hike.. Mayor Ellis says councillors can also make cuts and additions to the budget themseves over the next few days.
