Lind Town Council approves the 2015 Budget

The Lind Town Council approved the town’s budget for 2015 at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

With a total of $1,775,178.85 in revenues and expenditures the council voted 4-1, Councilmember Paula Bell opposed, for its approval of the final budget with final corrections noted at the meeting by council members.

The total of the final budget did not change drastically from the preliminary budget.

For the majority of changes, council members requested for certain items to be moved into different funds. The largest changes included re-categorizing funding for the Stormwater Project planning from water to sewer funds.

The council also requested that funds budgeted for audits reflect the cost of the 2014 audit in case the town should have to go through another.

The Current Expense fund for the town is budgeted at $212,773.85 for revenues and expenses in 2015.

Revenues into the current expense fund include $36,430 from personal property taxes, $34,000 from sales and use, $32,000 from electric tax, $7,5000 from gas tax, $7,500 from local criminal justice and $3,500 from telephone tax.

Other revenues include licenses and permits; state generated revenues; and fines and forfeitures.

Expenditures from the fund include $69,623.85 for finance, $41,000 for central services, $37,800 for park facilities, $14,000 for law enforcement.

The expenditures also include $4,900 for legislative costs, $4,800 for executive costs, $4,500 for fire control, $500 in community services, $250 for environmental services and and additional $3,000 transferred out to the vehicle reserve fund.

The 2015 budget for the town also has an increase to postage and phone allotments from different funds to account for the increased postage costs and the new $25 per month cell phone stipends for town employees.

The Airport Fund saw an increase to revenues and expenditures over past years because of the lighting project, which is currently underway.

With the close out of the Waste Water Treatment Plant project, the Sewer Fund shows a decrease in revenues and expenditures of around $200,000 and the Water Works funds has $844,940 in revenues with $419,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development grant for the well project.

Lind Town Clerk Denise Snead reported all 2014 funds were under budget by approximately 20 percent except for the Airport Fund. The fund exceeded it’s balance because of the airfield lighting project, an unexpected expenditure in 2014.

With its approval the budget went into effect on Jan. 1 with the New Year.