Hubbard departments told to watch spending

HUBBARD — City council has asked that every department in the city strictly adhere to budgets established at the beginning of the year, but the police chief says his overtime will likely be high until more people are hired.

Several members of council have said they are not interested in adding money to various line items in the budget at the end of the year to make up for money spent above the appropriated amounts. The city, in previous years, would transfer funds at year’s end to balance line items.

A letter from city Auditor Michael Villano to council and department heads last week says a first-quarter review shows several departments with overtime expenses above the expected range at this point in the year.

“I want to remind everyone that this is a 12-month budget. Upon 100 percent exhaustion of line-item budgets, my office will no longer authorize or issue purchase orders or checks for those line items. Council has been very clear with line-item expenses,” Villano said in the letter.

read more in Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com