Budget Timeline Set; Four Committees Give Reports
June 16, 2020 at 2:58 a.m.
Budget Timeline Set; Four Committees Give Reports
By David [email protected]
Still, Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen presented a tentative budget timeline to the council at a meeting Monday night.
“All of this is subject to change. We can delay some of these meetings by a meeting, depending on revenue, estimates,” she said.
The first public hearing and first reading of the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 21. The adoption and final reading is 7 p.m. Oct. 5.
“We have until Nov. 1 to have the budget approved, but Nov. 1 is a Sunday so I have a question to the (Department of Local Government Finance) to see if the second is OK as well, which would be a Monday,” Christiansen said, noting the salary ordinance has the same issue, but that’s with the State Board of Accounts. The elected officials salary ordinance is still due by Dec. 31.
City council meetings with department heads on their budgets are scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 3 and 17.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “Lynne made a good point. Last week, the governor allowed for the revenue estimates to be later this year because of the delay in the tax payment deadlines. Any good revenue estimates are obviously important for the budgeting process, so as Lynne mentioned, those could be pushed further back, which again could impact these deadlines. And, there’s a possibility that with that the governor may allow those dates and deadlines to be moved further back as well. But I think we proceed as we normally would and then we’ll let you know if there’s any changes.”
Four committees gave their reports at the end of Monday’s meeting to the whole seven-member council.
Wage committee member Jeff Grose said, “I imagine sooner rather than later, we’ll have a formal proposal that we’ll be able to provide the council in the upcoming days.”
Committee member Diane Quance said, “We tossed around a lot of ideas, and we tried to keep true to the progress we made in the past to keep our wages at a sustainable level, looking ahead to what the budget might be coming up, and also to keep it at a market level so we can hire good employees. I think you’ll be pleased when we’re ready to present it, but we’re basically done with it.”
From the not-for-profit committee, Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins said some of the not-for-profit budget applications have been sent out and they also are available online. She said she fielded a few questions from people who are new to the program. The committee will meet again in the next week or two to streamline the process. The deadline for the applications is June 30.
Councilman Mike Klondaris, on the wastewater committee, said the COVID-19 shutdown put the committee on the backburner. He said he did meet with City Engineer James Emans, who has been working with the city’s utility departments, and they have been “formulating a plan.” He said he, Dobbins and Councilman Jerry Frush will be advised of that plan Wednesday.
Council President Jack Wilhite said policy committee’s goal at the beginning of the year was to evaluate council’s current policy on public meetings. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t have any meetings since discussing the council’s legal counsel. He said the council’s focus on the 2021 budget will be more important the second half of this year due to the current economic times, so he was doubtful the policy committee would have anything to share this year in order to give council the time to focus on the budget.
Making his first appearance to the Common Council since being promoted to street superintendent after Jeff Beeler left for the public sector, Dustin Dillon asked for a transfer of funds from a reimbursement grant back into the general budget and motor vehicle highway budget. A total of $19,600 is going into general fund, with $6,586.93 going into MVH.
Dillon said, “This dates back to 2015. This was a reimbursable grant. So, basically, we got the money, did the work for it and then the money had come back.”
Thallemer asked Dillon to remind the council what the money was used for, and Dillon said he believed it was used for signage for the railroad project back in 2015.
In other business, the council approved:
• A transfer ordinance on second reading to move any and all remaining funds from the Eastern Tax Increment Finance District into the Northern TIF District as the two districts have been consolidated. City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the last payment out of the Eastern TIF was paid out. Christiansen said the last payment was made at the last Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, and the final amount was $885,433.95.
• A noncompliance waiver and application for West Hill Development, as well as two tax abatements.
• A tax abatement for Texmo. The original abatement for Texmo was approved by the county, but the city annexed the business into the city since then.
• A tax abatement for Alpha Manufacturing. It’s original abatement also was approved by the county but the business has since been annexed into the city.
• A tax abatement for Wildman and R & B Investors.
On the tax abatements, Thallemer said, “I know it’s a lot of work, but these abatements are well-appreciated and show the investment these companies are making in our community. Obviously, there’s progress.”
Still, Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen presented a tentative budget timeline to the council at a meeting Monday night.
“All of this is subject to change. We can delay some of these meetings by a meeting, depending on revenue, estimates,” she said.
The first public hearing and first reading of the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 21. The adoption and final reading is 7 p.m. Oct. 5.
“We have until Nov. 1 to have the budget approved, but Nov. 1 is a Sunday so I have a question to the (Department of Local Government Finance) to see if the second is OK as well, which would be a Monday,” Christiansen said, noting the salary ordinance has the same issue, but that’s with the State Board of Accounts. The elected officials salary ordinance is still due by Dec. 31.
City council meetings with department heads on their budgets are scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 3 and 17.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “Lynne made a good point. Last week, the governor allowed for the revenue estimates to be later this year because of the delay in the tax payment deadlines. Any good revenue estimates are obviously important for the budgeting process, so as Lynne mentioned, those could be pushed further back, which again could impact these deadlines. And, there’s a possibility that with that the governor may allow those dates and deadlines to be moved further back as well. But I think we proceed as we normally would and then we’ll let you know if there’s any changes.”
Four committees gave their reports at the end of Monday’s meeting to the whole seven-member council.
Wage committee member Jeff Grose said, “I imagine sooner rather than later, we’ll have a formal proposal that we’ll be able to provide the council in the upcoming days.”
Committee member Diane Quance said, “We tossed around a lot of ideas, and we tried to keep true to the progress we made in the past to keep our wages at a sustainable level, looking ahead to what the budget might be coming up, and also to keep it at a market level so we can hire good employees. I think you’ll be pleased when we’re ready to present it, but we’re basically done with it.”
From the not-for-profit committee, Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins said some of the not-for-profit budget applications have been sent out and they also are available online. She said she fielded a few questions from people who are new to the program. The committee will meet again in the next week or two to streamline the process. The deadline for the applications is June 30.
Councilman Mike Klondaris, on the wastewater committee, said the COVID-19 shutdown put the committee on the backburner. He said he did meet with City Engineer James Emans, who has been working with the city’s utility departments, and they have been “formulating a plan.” He said he, Dobbins and Councilman Jerry Frush will be advised of that plan Wednesday.
Council President Jack Wilhite said policy committee’s goal at the beginning of the year was to evaluate council’s current policy on public meetings. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t have any meetings since discussing the council’s legal counsel. He said the council’s focus on the 2021 budget will be more important the second half of this year due to the current economic times, so he was doubtful the policy committee would have anything to share this year in order to give council the time to focus on the budget.
Making his first appearance to the Common Council since being promoted to street superintendent after Jeff Beeler left for the public sector, Dustin Dillon asked for a transfer of funds from a reimbursement grant back into the general budget and motor vehicle highway budget. A total of $19,600 is going into general fund, with $6,586.93 going into MVH.
Dillon said, “This dates back to 2015. This was a reimbursable grant. So, basically, we got the money, did the work for it and then the money had come back.”
Thallemer asked Dillon to remind the council what the money was used for, and Dillon said he believed it was used for signage for the railroad project back in 2015.
In other business, the council approved:
• A transfer ordinance on second reading to move any and all remaining funds from the Eastern Tax Increment Finance District into the Northern TIF District as the two districts have been consolidated. City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the last payment out of the Eastern TIF was paid out. Christiansen said the last payment was made at the last Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, and the final amount was $885,433.95.
• A noncompliance waiver and application for West Hill Development, as well as two tax abatements.
• A tax abatement for Texmo. The original abatement for Texmo was approved by the county, but the city annexed the business into the city since then.
• A tax abatement for Alpha Manufacturing. It’s original abatement also was approved by the county but the business has since been annexed into the city.
• A tax abatement for Wildman and R & B Investors.
On the tax abatements, Thallemer said, “I know it’s a lot of work, but these abatements are well-appreciated and show the investment these companies are making in our community. Obviously, there’s progress.”
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