Some Budget Lines Coming Up Short

With the FY 2011 budget still in the works, the City Council will be making “emergency temporary appropriations” this month to run the city in November.

The resolution that will be up for a vote on Oct. 12 mostly reflects about a third of what was adopted last year for various budget lines. However, a few budget lines show year-to-date totals much higher. For example, the “other expense” line for Information Technology ($35,000) will be 100 percent expended and the salary and wage line ($131,506) will be 50 percent expended. Readers may recall that $20,000 from the IT hardware and software maintenance line was paid to WBLS for an Aug. 1 Town Meeting.

Other items include $58,635 for Public Information salary and wages, with zero paid out year to date, and $70,000 for other expenses, with 77.86 percent paid out.

The “other expense” line for engineering will be 100 percent paid out in November, and the Planning Division’s other expense allocation will stand at 96.02 percent paid out. The Health Division will hit 79.42 percent and the Recreation Division will reach 64.06 percent for other expenses.

Later in the year, transfers can be made, but these numbers appear to indicate either underfunding or overspending with two-thirds of the year to go. The fiscal year ends June 30, 2011.

--Bernice