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Mill Creek eyes $145K in savings this year
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mill Creek MetroParks has a new budget for 2015 that includes about $145,000 in savings from cuts.
The board of park commissioners unanimously voted Monday to approve a budget that appropriates about $9.6 million out of the park system’s general fund. The budget shows both a decrease in expenditures and an increase in revenue for the park system.
The budget’s $9,606,021 in appropriations is a decrease from 2014’s $9,750,683. The park system’s revenue is projected to increase from $11,032,557 to $11,093,526.
In terms of cuts, some savings will come from spending less on materials and supplies. The line item for materials and supplies decreased from $2,329,550 in 2014 to $2,232,051 this year.
The park system’s management also expects to spend about $140,000 less on general expenses such as personnel costs. For example, the 2014 budget included $795,000 for employee insurance, while the 2015 budget allocates $696,241.
“We took advantage of an opportunity to become more efficient utilizing tax dollars in fulfilling our mission,” Aaron Young, executive director of the MetroParks, said in a prepared statement. “Each individual department must be highly organized, efficient and live within its budget.”
While overall expenditures are projected to be less than last year, some line items increased this year.
For example, the park system will spend about $4,900,000 on wages and salaries this year, compared with about $4,830,000 last year. Budgeted expenditures for capital equipment and improvements also increased slightly from 2014 to this year.
In terms of departments, the MetroParks will spend about $50,000 more on development and marketing; about $63,000 more on its recreation department; about $30,000 more on the police department; and about $100,000 less on the maintenance department.
Spending stayed about the same for the business office, and the planning, golf and horticulture departments.
The administration also plans to undertake several major capital improvement projects this year, totaling $990,000. The park system has secured about 85 percent of those costs from grants and the Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation. Projects will target the Lily Pond, Lanterman’s Mill and the golf course, among other areas.
On the revenue side, the biggest increase comes from park activities. In 2014, the MetroParks raised $1,947,000 from park activities, and an additional $145,000 is expected to be raised this year.
Officials say fees and rental costs play no part in that revenue increase, but explain the change with a new projection method. Rather than basing revenue projections on the previous year, this budget is based on a four-year average. Young, who took over as executive director in January, directed the park system’s treasurer to make this change.
For example, Treasurer Kevin Smith projects that “miscellaneous” revenue such as workers’ compensation rebates and insurance settlements will increase from $125,000 last year to $314,200 this year.
The budget also projects increases in other revenue streams such as facility rentals.