ThisWeek CW 11/22/2012
Canal Winchester is expecting $6,607,348 in general fund revenue in 2013 with anticipated appropriations of $6,067,623, according to Finance Director Nanisa Osborn.
She told city council earlier this month the general fund will head into 2013 with a carryover balance of $2,550,183.
Council members heard its first reading of the city’s 2013 appropriations and budget at their Nov. 5 meeting. Two more readings are scheduled prior to a vote at the Dec. 3 meeting.
The figures reflect a drop of $234,117 in appropriations from 2012, Osborn said.
“(Council) will see small changes from last year … All of our funds added together are up by about $76,000,” she said.
According to Osborn, one significant increase in city expenses over the past year has been utility costs, which she expects will continue to rise in 2013.
“We’ve been seeing increases in utilities on a regular basis, especially in electricity,” she said. “Street-lighting costs are up also. I expect we’ll end the year at, like, $88,000, where last year, it was $74,000.
“Traffic signal expenses are up, too, not just the power but changing things like the traffic heads on Gender.”
She pointed out that council had to pass an amendment to the 2012 appropriations to cover an additional $50,000 in electricity costs for this year, associated with the water and sewer plants.
Other utility issues accounted for in the 2013 appropriations include water tower maintenance and annual meter work, she said.
“There will be a small (infiltration and inflow) project we’ll need to deal with but mostly, we’ll need to plan ahead for upgrades in 2014, which will hinge on whether or not we’re going to need to deal with phosphorous removal that year,” Osborn said.
“We’ll want this ordinance to be in place by January,” she said. “The first payroll is Jan. 2.”