This year’s budget for the city of Columbiana will remain unchanged.

The $3 million budget was approved by the city council at its meeting last week.

It will feature no increases, according to councilman Tom Seale.

&uot;We’ve watched what is going on in the county, the state and across the country and decided to project zero increases in sales taxes and ad valorem taxes,&uot; he said. &uot;Our revenues are flat.&uot;

In addition, Seale said there would be no cost of living allowances and no raises for city employees.

&uot;Blue Cross hit (the city) hard this year with a 20 percent increase in health insurance. That amounts to about a $24,000 increase for our employees,&uot; he said.

The 2002-03 budget of $3.030 million in expenditures includes some $820,000 for the police department; some $461,037 for administrative costs; some $247,984 for the street department; and some $170,000 for the sanitation department.

Other expenditures include $88,686 for the fire department; some $124,097 for the parks and recreation department; $181,005 for the library; $316,500 for the sewer; $1,500 for the cemetery; and $390,077 for the debt service.

Projected revenues for the city include $2.34 million for administrative; $85,900 for the police department; $203,500 for the sanitation department; $3,850 for the fire department; $132,500 for the municipal court; $2,000 for the parks department; $13,850 for the library; $322,000 for the sewer; and $31,150 for the cemetery.

Still under consideration by the council is an increase for city clerk Terry Collum.

Collum currently is compensated at $20.84 an hour.

A proposal to increase her salary to $22.57 an hour was tabled by the council.

According to Seale, the raise in salary is still under consideration because during the last few months, her duties have steadily increased