Pekin Facing Deficits

WMBD/WYZZ-TV—PEKIN--Pekin City Council held a special meeting today to discuss balancing the city's budget, after it took a $1.1 million hit in a month's time.

    Council Members met with city staff and department heads to go over how our tumbling economy has hurt Pekin

  The city faces a $900,000 dollar gap between revenue and spending.

  To balance the budget, members are looking to start service taxes, tap into reserves, freeze city salaries or even hike the cost of employee health insurance.

 Council Member Barbara Strand said, “We have to make cuts and we have to look at everything and that is one area that they've had a wonderful situation, but times have changed.”

   No action was taken at this morning's meeting, but mayor designate Rusty Dunn tells us cuts, reductions and service fees will have to be passed.'