Harlan Kirgan
The Eunice Board of Aldermen approved the city’s 2020-2021 budget Tuesday without public comment.
The budget, presented by Steve Moosa, CPA, includes General Fund revenues of $3,176,460 and Special Revenue Funds of $5,818,785.
General Fund expenditures are projected at $7,596,175. The General Fund is augmented by transfers in of $4,432,500.
The General Fund beginning balance is $3,344 and ending balance is $16,129.
Moosa said a decrease in sales tax collections is anticipated in the coming yearbecause of the Covid-19 shutdown.
“However, the latest sales tax collections by the city have been pretty steady,” he said.
During the shutdown people started shopping locally and in April spending was boosted by the stimulus checks, he said.
Mayor Scott Fontenot said city is in a position allowing it to not make drastic cuts because of the shutdown.
Fontenot’s budget message stated:
I submit to you the proposed budget for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. This budget document includes anticipated revenues and expenditures of the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds and the Utility Fund. Items of note are as follows:
— Revenues, excluding grants and interfund transfers, are budgeted at $11.6 million, a decrease of approximately $250,000. The decrease is attributable to an expected 9% reduction of sales tax revenue for operations, capital outlay, and wastewater maintenance offset by the first full year of collecting an additional one-quarter cent sales tax for public safety, which went into effective October 1, 2019.
— Total revenues is comprised of sales tax ($5.4 million), gas & sewer collections ($2.6 million), property tax ($0.74 million), franchise tax ($0.74 million), intergovernmental ($0.78 million), and other ($1.3 million).
— Expenditures, excluding grants and interfund transfers, are budgeted to increase 3% from the prior year and is attributable to raises provided to Police and Fire personnel.
— Salaries and employee benefits (retirement and health insurance) total $6.2 million, representing 52% of the total budgeted expenditures.
— The budget reflects $1.67 million for capital outlay, including street overlay ($950,000), police ($105,000), fire ($130,000), recreation and community centers ($15,000), drainage ($100,000), wastewater and gas ($40,000) and other ($325,000).
The Board also approved an amended 2019-2020 budget.
Other budget highlights include:
— Total General Fund revenues are projected to increase 6% from the amended budget’s $2,989,040 to $3,1176,460.
— With transfers in and other financing, the General Fund total grows to $7,608,960, up 1% from the amended current budget’s $7,526,040.
— The Police budget is $2,656,500, up 3% from the $2,582,650 in the current budget.
— The Fire Department budget is $1,503,100, down 5% from the current $1,585,225.
— The Public Works budget is $928,100, up 7% from the current budget of $867,400.
— The Sanitation budget is $44,200, down 1% from the current $44,700 budget.
— The budget for the dog pound and mosquito control is $34,500 and unchanged.
— The Culture budget is $305,675, up 17% from the current $260,707 budget.
— The Recreation budget is $497,100, up 24% from the $401,550 current budget.
— Airport expenditures are budgeted at $53,000 and are unchanged from the current budget.