The City Council recommended restoring the Keep Kenosha Beautiful coordinator and deputy fire chief positions while eliminating the city’s real estate agent heading into tonight’s expected approval of the city’s 2010 operating budget.

Kenosha’s aldermen voted 13-4 to support approval of the city’s 2010 operating budget during Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Aldermen Don Holland, G. John Ruffolo, Katherine Marks and Steve Casey voted against it.

The proposed budget would feature a tax levy hike of about 2.2 percent from this year, up a net total of $2,000 from the budget recommended by the Finance Committee last week. The owner of an average city home, valued at $169,633, would pay about $1,472 in property taxes for the city’s portion of taxes. That figure is up about $32 dollars from this year.

The City Council is scheduled to give final approval to the city’s 2010 budgets and 2010-14 Capital Improvement Plan at tonight’s meeting, 5 p.m. at the City Municipal Building, 625 52nd St.

Kenosha Beautiful

The Committee of the Whole voted to restore the Keep Kenosha Beautiful position, which was earlier recommended for removal, but with fewer hours.

Several aldermen argued for the value that this position brings to the city. Several citizens spoke before the meeting in support of retaining the position.

Other aldermen questioned keeping a part-time position while full-time jobs were being lost.

“I’m against paying a part-time position $40,000 to coordinate volunteers,” Alderman Anthony Nudo said.

The 30-hour a week position was scheduled to receive salary and benefits totaling $39,220. The reduction in hours is expected to cut about $14,000 from that cost.

The committee recommended restoring the position at reduced hours by a 9-8 vote with Aldermen Ruffolo, Don Ruef, Anthony Nudo, Ray Misner, Dan Prozanski, Michael Orth, Jesse Downing and David Bogdala voting against it.

Deputy Fire Chief

The committee also suggested retaining the deputy fire chief position in the Kenosha Fire Department, which the Finance Committee recommended cutting last week.

Kenosha Fire Chief John Thomsen outlined a series of cuts from the department’s budget — mainly allowed by training cuts next year — which save $45,150 to offset the cost of restoring the deputy chief.

Battalion Chief John Poltrock, a 25-year veteran of the fire department, argued for maintaining the position.

“The existence of the deputy fire chief is paramount for the success of the Kenosha Fire Department,” Poltrock said.

The position has a yearly salary of $98,460.

Real estate agent

The committee did vote to eliminate the city real estate agent position on Monday, a move which the Finance Committee did not recommend last week.

The position, currently held by Sharon Krewson, deals with property acquisition and environmental issues among other responsibilities. The total cost of the position is about $91,000.

The position was recommended to be eliminated by a 9-8 vote. Aldermen Eric Haugaard, Don Moldenhauer, Holland, Tod Ohnstad, Patrick Juliana, Marks, Kennedy and Casey voted against removing it.

Tuesday’s meeting also saw the committee suggest reducing the Transit Department budget by $107,943, but maintaining full service on the No. 6 and 36 bus routes and keeping the street car operational on weekends in January and February.

An earlier proposal had called for removing or reducing those routes and shutting the street car down from January to March, but other cuts were found in the department.

The committee also recommended approving the Capital Improvement Plan for 2010-14, with changes including reducing funding for the Redevelopment Authority by $225,000 in 2010, by a 14-3 vote on Tuesday. Aldermen Juliana, Marks and Kennedy voted against approval.