City budget upped by nearly $200k

HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs City Manager Ed Booth’s revised budget for the current 2012/2013 fiscal year was unanimously approved July 18 by the city commission. Ordinance 2013-04 amended the 2012/2013 budget, which was set during a tough financial year that saw a 9.6 percent decrease in employee and commission salaries. The matter received no comment from the public or commissioners before receiving unanimous commission approval.

The 2012/2013 budget was originally was set at $3,213,660. The revised budget at $3,409,915 represents an increase of $196,255 over the original budget.

Booth credits the upturn in the city’s financial situation to additional revenues from uncollected business license fees, which so far have amounted to $24,000, Clay Electric franchise fees estimated at $35,000 for the current year plus an additional $25,000 for the past year, and additional building construction and permitting application fees of $40,000.

Budget adjustments were also necessary due to the additional cost of refunding 6.9 percent of salaries for employees and commissioners, which had been taken from last year’s budget due to a deficit. Additional expenses also came from the increased hours of one employee to accommodate the extra work in the city’s building department.

Booth said the budget adjustment “brings the city back to where it was,” and referring to the upcoming fiscal year budget said, “The next budget is expected to move the city forward a little bit more.”

#     #     #

Email Cwalker@

alachuatoday.com