PINEVILLE — Sharing the wealth. Not many cities in tri-state area can do that in this economy, but Pineville City Council did it with a budget surplus they had for the next fiscal year.

According to City Clerk and Treasurer Ina Robbins at Thursday’s rescheduled council meeting, the city took in $92,000 more than expected in delinquent taxes. They also spent 20 percent less than originally budgeted.

And because of that, all city employees received a six percent raise in their salaries for the 09-10 fiscal year.

“We did really well with the budget this year,” said Pineville Mayor Sherwin Rader after the council approved the second reading of the budget ordinance.

Some in the police department had already received their raise mid-budget and therefore got another one percent raise. The police chief and his assistant got a six percent raise now because they didn’t get theirs mid-budget.

The city still managed a surplus despite new expenses like the hiring of a part-time Main Street Manager, which cost $12,918 on top of other activity expenses.

The council also approved a $500 grant for the police department called “Blue Lights across the Bluegrass.” It will help fund overtime costs for police officers to watch for speeders and check seatbelts.

They also initiated the program “Shop with a Cop” which allows children selected for the program to shop for Christmas gifts with police officers. The program is funded strictly by donations.

The council kept the real property tax rate at 27.9c.

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.