Butler City Council introduced an ordinance at its Nov. 21 meeting to propose a 2025 budget while keeping tax rates unchanged. Zach Zimmerman/Butler Eagle

Butler City Council is one step closer to advancing an increased budget with no increase in taxes.

At its forum meeting Thursday, Dec. 5, council advanced the proposed budget for final approval at its Dec. 19 meeting.

Council members first introduced the budget at their Nov. 21 meeting. The tax remaining flat, despite an slight increase in spending, is the result of an influx of proceeds from the sale of the Butler Area Sewer Authority.

Councilman Donald Shearer said the city’s general fund expenditures for 2025 is expected to be $10,871,723. This is an increase of almost $300,000 from the 2024 fiscal year.

Shearer previously estimated the city would collect over $640,000 through the remainder of 2024 on interest from the $92 million in proceeds from the BASA sale.

Capital projects for the city next year are expected to be at $3,013,680. The city’s budget for liquid fuels is expected to be $550,126.

The forum meeting sets the agenda for the upcoming general meeting.

At the meeting, Mayor Bob Dandoy made a point of what he sees as a resurgence of Butler’s downtown business activity, and that residents have noticed.

Dandoy quoted a comment from Butler Eagle’s coverage of the Spirit of Christmas parade, in which one resident said, “Downtown has completely turned around and become someplace where people want to come. Now we spend Friday nights downtown. Light up nights, parades, anything to bring people downtown for small businesses is a good thing.”