- Levan Town accepts budget for fiscal year 2010 and accepts amended budget for 2009
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By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
The Levan Town Council accepted the budget for fiscal year 2010 and the amended budget for 2009 at the June 10th meeting.
A public hearing was held prior to the scheduled meeting for public input. None was given.
Mayor Bob Shepherd commented that the budget was higher than other year’s actuals partly because the town had retained money for the streets and that was transferred over besides the carryover from last year, of $51,000.
“There’s almost $200,000 of additional funds that would be coming into checking, into the budget, so that’s what makes that figure higher,” he said. “That’s money we’ve saved over the years, and that’s if we do all the work on the streets.”
Council member Brady Taylor said that the sanitation department’s actual budget in 2009 was lower than the original budget because the cost of the new truck was a lot lower.
Bruce Rowley, ambulance crew, commented on the fluctuations within the ambulance department since 2007. Shepherd said that was to be expected with grants. The total for 2007 was $251,244.80 and then in 2008 dropped to $47,127.15. The purchase of the second ambulance was thought to have showed in the 2007 actuals instead of in 2008 due to the timing of the purchase. Rowley said the budget for 2010 looked good, though.
Shepherd said that Heather Taylor, clerk, had added money to the parks and cemetery budgets to help balance the budget for 2010. He said he didn’t think there would be any capital outlay in the cemetery this year and suggested they move it into the park. However, the cemetery needed to finish the sprinkler system, so he said they would move only half of the money.
The total budget for fiscal year 2010 came to $624,262.
The council also accepted the budget amendments for 2009.
Most of the departments needed an increase in their budgets for 2009. There was a $15,550 increase in administrative costs, the biggest being a $7,750 in equipment, maintenance and fuel.
There was a $160 increase in court travel and training. The ambulance department saw a $13,275 increase in their budget, the most being $9,400 for office expenses and supplies.
Salary and wages in the highway department saw a $4,500 increase. Total for highways was $4,750. In the parks department, there was a $8,725 increase, the most being in equipment, maintenance and fuel.
The cemetery had a $1,500 increase.
The total general fund amendment came to $43,960.
The water department needed to amend $10,450; the electric department, $15,775; the cable department, $2,530; and the gas department, $18,480.
Rowley asked if it was normal for towns to amend the budget and should each department try to budget more closely, specifically the ambulance which he is under. Shepherd said that you can’t forecast what is going to be needed.
“You should amend the budget before you spend the funds,” Shepherd said. “You try to get as close as possible.”
H. Taylor said she’d hoped she hadn’t missed anything, but joked that they would hear about it from the auditor if she had.
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