City budget: Cuts needed, public input sought

Following that, the council held a public hearing for its review of the city’s Middle Housing code. Consultant Marcus Johnson led council through the research, and City Administrator Krista Loney parsed the current code; both explained suggested revisions. A summary of the plans are to combine previous R1, which is for a single-family dwelling, and R2 zones, which includes single family dwelling and duplexes, into a single zone that includes duplexes. The R3 zone would then be defined as multi-family dwelling.

One new category of residences was added: cottage zoning. This allows for three to 12 cottage-type homes to be built on a single lot, with a shared parking lot and shared open area. Cottages are a maximum of 1,400 square feet. The council spent much of the time going over design standards, such as minimum amount of front yardage, height maximums, and minimum number of off-street parking spots. No public comment was submitted for this public hearing, and Bingen council members are anxious to get feedback from residents. Council will hold another public hearing in the next month or two. The proposed code changes are all available on the website as well.

The council is moving forward with the replacement of sections 2 and 3 of the East Steuben waterline. The city has taken out a loan of $1.06 million and has received a grant of $1.25 million to pay for the infrastructure.

Funding the city’s budget continues to be a topic of concern. The council has faced a list of possible ways to cut costs or increase funds and now wants to hear from the public. They are planning a variety of outreach to ask Bingen residents what they prefer: cuts, or increased taxes or fees. The options were previewed during last month’s meeting. City council members hope the public will provide feedback on how to keep the city running and growing in a sustainable way.

The next Bingen City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.