PICKENS — After spending more than they took in last year, city officials are working to keep the same thing from happening this fiscal year.

City administrator Katherine Brackett said she has been working with department heads on an amended budget, and so far, they have carved 4 percent across the board from the city’s spending plans so far, for about $100,000.

Brackett said she is extremely pleased with the teamwork effort so far to bring the budget down.

She also said the city is facing an unfunded mandate for stormwater management practices and that she has recommended creating a fund to pay for it, which would be billed annually on tax bills.

Brackett expects to have a suggested fee ready to propose to city council by the Nov. 2 meeting.

She also plans to recommend increasing residential trash rates and implementing a commercial tipping fee.

Currently, she said the city’s costs for these services is $109 per person and that current fees do not cover that cost.

“Our goal is to cover costs, but at this point, we’re losing so much money,” she said.

In another cost reduction effort, council voted unanimously to stop supplementing health insurance costs of retired employees.

Currently, the city pays a percentage of that cost for two former employees, according to Mayor David Owens.

Brackett also said that by eliminating the rollover of the city’s history, the cost for new financial software has dropped from $84,000 to $69,000

That software will go live in February 2010, she said.