The proposed budget for the city of Longmont is close to being finalized and will be voted on by city council Oct. 9 and 23.

The total budget for the 2008 fiscal year, which is for Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, is proposed to be $197.5 million. According to the budget papers, this is a 5.56 percent increase of the 2007 fiscal year.

36 percent of the revenue comes from taxes, which include sales and use taxes, property taxes and cigarette taxes. 46 percent of the revenues come from charges for services, licenses and permits that are issued by the city of Longmont.

The city budget is also proposing the elimination of 12. 42 FTE, or full-time equivalency, jobs from the budget. Among those jobs being cut or eliminated are two library page positions that are being converted to temporary jobs, the elimination of 1.25 probation officer jobs, the elimination of a parks and forestry manager job for the parks department and the elimination of one fire lieutenant job.

There is also controversy surrounding the closure of the seasonal ice rink at Roosevelt Park. The service, which had $112,187 budgeted to it in the 2007 fiscal year, will not longer be open. The rink had brought in $45,000 in fees, $800 in concessions and $13,500 in rental feesduring the 2006 fiscal year. The move is expected to save the city of Longmont approximately $53,000 a year.