|
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
July 02, 2012
MONMOUTH -- Employment and service levels in the city of Monmouth won't change much in 2012-13 -- a good thing, leaders said.
The city of Monmouth adopted earlier this month a $36 million budget for the next fiscal year. That amount encompasses self-sustaining utility funds, such as Monmouth Power & Light.
The city's general fund -- which covers basic services -- will total $6.7 million, up considerably from the $5.9 million budgeted last year.
That increase entails two new police patrol cars, part-time positions in the police department and public library and $600,000 for design and possible construction of an expansion of the Monmouth Senior Center.
Monmouth inflated projected expenses this year -- a common practice -- that's created an artificial deficit. The city will use approximately $300,000 of its $1.98 million reserve fund to shore up the gap.
"We believe we'll have a nice beginning balance, we figured why not use some of it," said City Manager Scott McClure.
McClure said one of the reasons the community has been able to hold the financial line in recent years was refraining from adding more staff when property taxes were rising before the recession.
"Instead of staffing up, we just didn't, we thought it would drop down and it did," McClure said.
As for major utility expenses, Monmouth will spend more than $2 million this year to construct a new headworks facility for its sanitary sewer system.
ACEBOOK