WALKER, Mich. — The City of Walker Mayor Garey Carey Jr. says the city's income tax loss won't be as great as bigger cities like Grand Rapids, but it will still be significant.
The city's general fund budget has about $18 million in it, and they're on track to lose $1.5 - $2.5 million.
"It's like you know you're going to get punched in the arm," says Mayor Carey. "You don't know how hard it might be or how soft, but you know you're going to get punched."
The loss is coming because workers who usually commute downtown to work but instead worked from home in 2020 don't have to pay city income tax.
As far as who will be impacted by this loss? Carey says, "That's where we separate the wants and the needs."
"The needs, we have to have our public safety, that's off-limits. We're not touching public safety. We're not touching jobs or people. We're going to find other means to be able to reduce those expenses down."
Other means could possibly include road and city projects.
