Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Town plans for positive budget
REARDAN – The town council unanimously approved the 2021 budget at its Dec. 3 meeting. The budget anticipates the town being in the black in 2021, with $1,072,783.31 in revenue and $808,433.42 in expenses for a net of $264,349.89.
The budget details where local property and sales taxes, utility payments and other local payments will be allocated in the town. Council approved a 2.35% property tax increase at its Nov. 19 meeting, which was filed with the Lincoln County Assessor’s Office but has yet to be approved. It likely won’t be until closer to the end of the year, according to town hall.
Fifty percent of the property taxes, budgeted at $46,500, will go into the current expense fund, which has a beginning balance of $63,000. The current expense fund also takes all retail sales and use tax, budgeted at $65,000. Combined with state generated revenues, charges for service, licenses and permits, fines and forfeitures and miscellaneous revenues, as well as traffic infraction fines, current expense revenues are budgeted at $270,853.
The current expense fund pays for portions of town employee salaries, legal services, most of the police department, protection fees for the Lincoln County Fire Station, some parks expenses and some capital expenditures. Current expense expenditures are budgeted at $270,784, leaving an excess of $69 budgeted.
A percentage of property taxes, 15.25%, are budgeted to the library, which is funded almost solely by these taxes. $14,185 of the budgeted $14,842 revenues for the library comes from property taxes. Expenses are budgeted at $14,024, for an excess of $818.
The street fund claims 30% of property taxes, totaling $30,300. $11,000 is also budgeted from the motor vehicle fuel tax. Total fund revenues for the street fund, which pay for street maintenance and administration, as well as portions of town employee salaries, are budgeted at $44,070.65. Expenditures are budgeted at $43,994.95 for an excess of $75.70.
$199,002.59 is budgeted for water fund revenue, most of which comes from water collection charges ($175,000). $10,200 in revenue is budgeted from the state business and occupation tax, and $3,500 is budgeted for water hookups.
Much of the water fund income pays for town hall employee salaries, and also covers water operating costs. Budgeted expenditures are $191,982.16, leaving an excess of $7,020.43.
$386,360.59 in revenue is budgeted for the sewer fund, which has an estimated beginning balance of $171,860.59, which can be added to a budgeted $210,000 in sewer collection charges. That pays for sewer operations and a good chunk of town employee salaries.
Garbage collection charges revenue is budgeted at $80,000. The fund has an estimated beginning balance of $28,253.74. Combined with budgeted revenue from the business and occupation tax, the fund revenues are budgeted at $115,058.74.
The fund pays for transfer station taxes, which are increasing. Excise taxes and business and occupation taxes, as well as small portions of town employee salaries, are also covered in the garbage fund. Fund expenditures are budgeted ta $90,590, making for a budgeted excess of $24,48.74.
Council will next meet Dec. 17. It is not known whether state health guidelines will allow for an in-person meeting, or whether meetings will continue to be held remotely.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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