The City of Carbondale is in pretty good fiscal shape right now, but that will not be the case in five years unless steps are made to correct a troubling trend.
That was acting Mayor Don Monty's message during his State of the City address Tuesday at the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce's regular monthly luncheon.
His comments came just hours before the City Council approved a tax levy for the coming year that includes Carbondale residents paying more for city services.
Monty says looking ahead five years; forecasts predict expenses will increase more than revenues. He says that will force city leaders to make some difficult decisions, which could include raising fees and taxes as well as cutting some services.
Monty says he wanted to paint a realistic picture to show how city governments must look years down the road to see what the budget picture looks like, so they can be prepared to deal with it.
Monty also told the gathering that the Downtown Master Plan includes reconfiguring Illinois and University Avenues for two-way traffic, creating a multi-modal transportation hub for bus and train traffic near the Amtrak station as well as a downtown hotel and more upscale apartments.
