Butler City Council on Thursday approved the first readings of the 2019 budget, tax and salary ordinances.

The balanced $9.158 million general fund budget, which is only $5,000 more than this year’s general fund budget, includes revenue from a $5 increase in monthly parking permit fees. But those higher fees are set in the fee schedule that council approves in January.

Council discussed raising the parking permit fees by $5 this year, but didn’t enact the increase into the fee schedule.

The budget allocates $9.158 million to the general fund, $1.78 million to the capital projects fund, $954,500 to the parking fund and $567,442 to the Liquid Fuels fund.

The tax ordinance maintains the current real estate tax rate of 43.25 mills.

In addition, the tax ordinance allocates revenue from 30 mills for general purposes, 8.25 mills for debt service, 2.5 mills for street lighting, 2 mills for recreation and 0.50 mills for the Butler Area Public Library.

The current $5 resident tax, $100 business license fee and $52 local service tax are also included in the tax ordinance.

Salaries for nonunion employees in the salary ordinance include $90,067 for the police chief, $80,600 for the fire chief, $66,768 for the zoning officer, $59,209 for the city clerk, $40,361 for the solicitor, $39,848 for the code enforcement officer and administrative assistant, $31,583 for the parking manager, $11,782 for the health officer and $5,427 for the plumbing inspector.

Council is expected to consider final approval of the budget at its Dec. 20 meeting.

In unrelated business, Councilman Jeff Smith said the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources approved the city application for a $40,000 grant for the Butler A.M. Rotary Club’s playground project at Memorial Park. He said the Rotary will install the new playground equipment in late spring.

Mayor Ben Smith also announced that the “Spirit of Christmas” parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24.