When the City of Watonga met on Monday in special session, the budget was the topic of the day.
The proposed budget placed before the council was fundamentally different than those in the past in that the capital outlay carried with it explanations of where the allocations were to come from. According to Wikipedia, capital outlay is money spent to acquire, upgrade, or extend the useful life of long-term physical assets, such as property, buildings, equipment, or software. This is not the entire budget for that department, but rather what is tabbed for hard assets.
General government outlay was $185,000 from the sales tax fund; Police department outlay is budgeted at $60,000 with part from the sales tax fund and part from the operations budget; Fire department is budgeted at $33,000 from the grant fund; the street department capital outlay is budgeted at $386,000 from the sales tax and street and alley funds; the parks department is budgeted at $64,000 from the sales tax fund; the electric department is budgeted $250,000 in capital expense from the operations fund; the water department is in line for $2,381,592 from the grant/loan proceeds and the operations fund; the sewer/disposal department has $393,592 allocated for capital expenses, part from the loan proceeds and part from the operations budget; and the public works authority fund is in line for $4,424,000. Grants will provide $4.365 million and the sales tax fund will provide an additional $59,000. PWA is largely the airport activity umbrella.
The budget carries the notation that it has been prepared with guidance from the city council and reflects the council’s desire to increase investment in the city and infrastructure with the goal being to assist economic development and improve the quality of life for residents.
The enterprise funds, those that are largely selfsustaining, include light and water, public works and the Watonga Economic Development Authority. The beginning balance for light and water is $3.11 million. Expected income is $9.94 million and expenses are estimated at $9.22 million. The department must purchase the electricity it sells to residents as well as pay the cost for treating the drinking water it provides. The department will transfer $820,082 out and reduce its balance from the beginning of the fiscal year by $100,921, for an ending balance of $3,015,100. The public works authority is expected to finish the budget year with $152,331, up from a beginning balance of $140,641; WEDA is expected to wind up with $380,078, up from a beginning balance of $140,641; WEDA is expected to wind up with $380,078, up from $320,278.
Special revenue funds include the library special revenue, street and alley, and the grant fund.
Street and alley will draw down from a beginning balance of $192,330 to an ending balance of $77,322; the grant fund will remain unchanged at $62,964 and the library special will also be unchanged from $5,224.
The general fund shows a beginning balance of $3.5 million, revenues of $3.3 million, expenses of $3.9 million, transfers in of $370,082 and will end the budget year with $3.24 million.
Light and water shows a beginning balance of $ 3.11 million, revenues of $9.94 million, expenses of $9.22 million – it must purchase the electricity it sells and treat the water it provides – transfers out of $820,082 and an ending
balance of $3.01 million, about $268,000 less than it began the year with.
The public works budget shows a beginning balance of $140,000, income of $4.45 million, expenses of $4.55 million, transfers in of $109,000 and an anticipated ending balance of $152,331, an increase of some $11,690. The income is largely a grant earmarked to build the new terminal at the airport.
The Watonga Economic Development Authority will begin the year with an estimated $320,278, income of about $50,000, expenses of $91,000, transfers in of $100,000 and an ending balance of $380,078, up about $60,00 from the year previous.
This is only a broad brush glance at the budget and those who want more information should contact the city manager.