By REID TUCKER
If the Fiscal Year 2016 projected figures hold true through the end of the budget-making workshop schedule, the city of Paxton is once more looking at a balanced general fund budget.
The information presented to the Town Council at its Aug. 25 budget workshop, the first of three scheduled to take place before the start of the new fiscal year at the end of September, projects revenues and expenditures to match up at $441,550 on the general fund side. That’s an increase from the current fiscal year’s $422,154, with the additional $19,000-plus coming principally in the form of increases to the 1/2-cent sales tax and 1-cent garbage collection surtax.
Total operating funds for FY2016 are projected to fall slightly from $288,802 to $287,800 for FY2016 even though payroll expenditures will see the usual 3 percent cost-of-living increases. The projected figures presented at the workshop didn’t include the $16,000 transfer out to the sewer fund that was included in the FY2015 budget, so these numbers may change as the budget-building process goes on.
The initial projections for the water and sewer systems, however, do not show a balance between revenues and expenditures – not yet anyway. Total water revenues for the current fiscal year are $240,800, whereas FY2016’s projected revenues total out at $234,800. The drop-off is due to several factors, among them a $4,000 decrease in water sales and halved installation fees and impact fees, which go from $2,400 each to $1,200 each.
City staff provided three different water rate percentages for the Council’s consideration, with the above figures reflecting a 3-percent increase. A 10-percent increase would have total revenues at $249,400 and an increase of 15 percent brings projected revenues to $270,900. The Council is expected to discuss the solution to this matter at the next budget workshop, set for Sept. 8, at 4:30 p.m.
Water system operating expenses are similarly getting a bump from $24,300 to $45,000, but that is due to the purchase of a new utilities crew truck, and everything else in the operating expenses column is about the same when compared to the current fiscal year. Water system payrolls are looking at a modest increase of $2,000 over the current year.
Revenues on the sewer fund side are initially projected to see a big drop from FY2015’s $143,639 to $119,000 in FY2016, but it should be noted that revenues usually include a transfer in from the general fund to cover shortfalls in water and sewer fund budgets. Even so, projected sales for the upcoming fiscal year look to be trending down from $118,400 to $109,000, but that could go up to $112,300 if a 3-percent increase in sewer rates is passed by resolution in a Town Council meeting. Expenditures for the sewer fund are also down though, going from $143,639 to $119,000, so this particular budget is balanced for the time being, thanks largely to decreases in operating supplies, lab testing fees, electricity and repair and maintenance.
If the Fiscal Year 2016 projected figures hold true through the end of the budget-making workshop schedule, the city of Paxton is once more looking at a balanced general fund budget.
The information presented to the Town Council at its Aug. 25 budget workshop, the first of three scheduled to take place before the start of the new fiscal year at the end of September, projects revenues and expenditures to match up at $441,550 on the general fund side. That’s an increase from the current fiscal year’s $422,154, with the additional $19,000-plus coming principally in the form of increases to the 1/2-cent sales tax and 1-cent garbage collection surtax.
Total operating funds for FY2016 are projected to fall slightly from $288,802 to $287,800 for FY2016 even though payroll expenditures will see the usual 3 percent cost-of-living increases. The projected figures presented at the workshop didn’t include the $16,000 transfer out to the sewer fund that was included in the FY2015 budget, so these numbers may change as the budget-building process goes on.
The initial projections for the water and sewer systems, however, do not show a balance between revenues and expenditures – not yet anyway. Total water revenues for the current fiscal year are $240,800, whereas FY2016’s projected revenues total out at $234,800. The drop-off is due to several factors, among them a $4,000 decrease in water sales and halved installation fees and impact fees, which go from $2,400 each to $1,200 each.
City staff provided three different water rate percentages for the Council’s consideration, with the above figures reflecting a 3-percent increase. A 10-percent increase would have total revenues at $249,400 and an increase of 15 percent brings projected revenues to $270,900. The Council is expected to discuss the solution to this matter at the next budget workshop, set for Sept. 8, at 4:30 p.m.
Water system operating expenses are similarly getting a bump from $24,300 to $45,000, but that is due to the purchase of a new utilities crew truck, and everything else in the operating expenses column is about the same when compared to the current fiscal year. Water system payrolls are looking at a modest increase of $2,000 over the current year.
Revenues on the sewer fund side are initially projected to see a big drop from FY2015’s $143,639 to $119,000 in FY2016, but it should be noted that revenues usually include a transfer in from the general fund to cover shortfalls in water and sewer fund budgets. Even so, projected sales for the upcoming fiscal year look to be trending down from $118,400 to $109,000, but that could go up to $112,300 if a 3-percent increase in sewer rates is passed by resolution in a Town Council meeting. Expenditures for the sewer fund are also down though, going from $143,639 to $119,000, so this particular budget is balanced for the time being, thanks largely to decreases in operating supplies, lab testing fees, electricity and repair and maintenance.