Marietta City Council approved the 2013 municipal budget Thursday, which includes $10,173,164 in appropriations for various anticipated city expenditures from the general fund.
The 2012 general fund appropriation was approximately $9.8 million.
"We have to put this budget in place now to be able to pay our bills in January," said Councilman Tom Vukovic, D-4th Ward, who chairs the finance committee.
He thanked assistant safety-service director Bill Dauber and Theresa Taylor with the city law director's office for their work in producing the budget and legislation.
In other business, council approved legislation authorizing local businessman John Lehman for operation of White Knight Limousine Services LLC.
Councilman Denver Abicht, D-at large, who chairs the streets and transportation committee, said that was good news.
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Marietta City Council will meet in special session at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 31 in the community building at Lookout Park for a brief session to approve last-minute appropriations. All council meetings, except executive sessions, are open to the public.
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"We're trying to move forward and promote new business ventures for the city," he said. "And this will be a new limousine service for Marietta."
Also on Thursday, council members passed two resolutions honoring longtime city employees Sharon Karcher and Wayne Rinehart, who both retired Nov. 30.
Karcher has worked in the city law director's office since 1987.
"It's been a joy to have worked with Sharon over the years," said Councilman Michael Mullen, I-at large, and chairman of the employee relations committee.
"In spite of many tight deadlines and bureaucratic paperwork, she always had a smile and found ways to get things done," he said.
Vukovic added that Karcher has helped him wade through many budget legislations through the years.
"And in many situations it would have been easy for her to become frustrated, but she never did that," he said. "She has my respect and admiration for her grace over the years."
Rinehart began service with the city in 1981 in the development department, and later joined the city engineer's office. He retired from that office as a project manager and code administrator in November.
"Wayne helped me a lot when I became streets and transportation committee chairman," Abicht said. "He was always willing to sit down with me and explain things I needed to know."
Vukovic said Rinehart was "a detail person" who did a lot for the future of the city.
"In his last few years Wayne moved in to project management for the engineering department," Mullen added. "And he was quite instrumental in applying for Ohio Public Works Commission grants to fund our annual asphalt paving programs in the last couple of years."
Finally on Thursday, Mayor Joe Matthews, who had been absent from a few council meetings following surgery three weeks ago, expressed his appreciation for cards and letters of encouragement from the public.
"I would just like to thank everyone for their kindness, and hopefully I'll be back in the office full-time in the next couple of weeks," he said. "I've been given a clean bill of health."
