By Steve Browne
Valley City Times-Record

The 2009 budget for the Valley City general fund will increase 4.89 percent from 2008, and there will be a $28,700 emergency fund levy for one emergency alarm.
The city fire hall needs some renovation, and two more of Valley City's six emergency alarm sirens need to be replaced, at a cost of $15,500 apiece, City Auditor Avis Richter said.
Valley City Fire Chief Gary Retterath said the city replaced an emergency siren on West Main Street this year, and moved it a block north.  He said the other two emergency sirens slated for repair are at least 40 years old.
"One was replaced this year," Richter said, "another will be replaced in 2009 and we hope to replace the third in 2010."
According to Richter the budget increase in the general fund will come to $108,000.
Richter said $75,000 of the budget increase will go for renovations of the fire hall, the rest to pay costs of gas, energy, replacing police and fire vehicles, and cost-of-living salary adjustments.

For full story, see Tuesday's edition of the Valley City Times-Record.