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Budget for 2010 is right on the money
By DENISE DICK
denise_dick@vindy.com
BOARDMAN
2010 appropriations
Township trustees passed a $16.5 million budget at a meeting Monday. Last year, just more than $17 million was spent. Who gets what in 2010:
General fund: $1,833,650.
Road, bridge and other restricted funds: $2,885,614.
Police: $7,198,046.
Fire: $4,098,125.
Employee Severance Fund: $150,000.
Capital projects: $100,000.
Lighting districts: $245,350.
Source: Township fiscal office
For the first time in several years, township trustees passed a balanced budget rather than relying on carry-over money to make ends meet.
“It’s the first time in nine years [that] we’ve been able to have a balanced budget in this township,” said William Leicht, fiscal officer. “It boils down to three trustees working together, making corrective actions in policies and operating procedures.”
The final 2010 appropriations passed unanimously at the trustees’ regular meeting Monday total $16,510,785 with revenue projected at about $16,928,000.
Leicht said because revenues are subject to economic conditions, they wanted to keep appropriations lower.
Last year, the township spent $17,026,762 after appropriating $17,132,154.
Also in 2009, the township borrowed $3 million to get through the first quarter.
It didn’t have to do that this year, Leicht said, because he secured authorization through the state auditor’s office to borrow from the township’s own restricted funds instead. That money must be repaid to those funds, but the township doesn’t have to pay interest, the fiscal officer said.
The police department, the township’s largest general-fund recipient, received the most in appropriations at about $7.2 million. That amount includes funding for two new police officers for six months.
Trustees have said that they plan to hire two police officers later this year.
“This is good news for 2010,” said Larry Moliterno, trustee chairman. “There still continues to be more work to do. Going into 2011, we still might find ourselves struggling a bit.”
Trustee Thomas Costello said the township is expecting a reduction in the local-government fund that comes from the state, but it’s undetermined how much of a reduction it will be.
He said that savings were realized through cutting overtime and also because 2010 has one fewer pay period than 2009. That one pay amounted to about $500,000 last year, he said.
Moliterno said the board is working together, trying to accomplish what’s best for the township.
“We’re making decisions based on the long-term stability of the township, not on knee-jerk reactions,” he added.