City of Lincoln set to approve $22 million
2019-20 budget
Part six: An overview of special funds
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[April 13, 2019]
LINCOLN
According to the final draft of the new fiscal year budget presented
to the Lincoln City Council on April 9th , the city of Lincoln will
have a total budget of $22,876,721. Of that amount, $7,421,155 will
be general fund expenditures. The balance of $15,455,566 is made up
of special or designated funds expenditures.
The fiscal year begins on May 1st.
Property Tax
Property tax revenues are estimated at $177,605 with expenditures
listed as $177,980. Expenditures of the property tax line are all
payments to General Obligation Bond number eight.
2020 GO Bond
The city will be able to take out a new General Obligation Bond in
December of 2019. The total bond will be $500,000. In the first year
of the three-year bond, the city would expend $175,000, $50,000 of
which is the previously discussed designation for street
repairs/improvements.
2017 GO Bond
The balance remaining from the 2017 General Obligation Bond totals
$25,518. The bulk of that balance - $24,588.68 will be used for
technology and equipment. The remaining $929.32 is designated as
bond expenditures.
Sewer
The expected revenues in the city Sewerage Department totals
$10,274,700. This amount includes a loan total of $5,950,000, which
is part of the total loan that will be needed for the city’s Long
Term Control Plan sewer updates.
In the Sewer Accounting and Admin portion of the sewer budget,
significant increases are showing up in office supplies and postage
primarily because of the change in billing. An overall increase in
salaries is due to the hiring on a new person mid-year 2018-19.
On the sewer Plant Operations and Sewer Collection System portion of
the budget, the contract with Veolia Water Contract Services for the
year dropped from $1,375,000 to 1,240,830.
Significant increases are found in the Capital Expenses for Building
and Grounds. This figure increased from $7,500 in the 2018-19 year
to $495,000 in the 2019-20 fiscal year. There are also Lift Stations
and CSO/LTCP budgeted at $3,500,000. This is due to necessary
expenditures related to the Long Term Control Plan sewer updates.
The LTCP is mandated by the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency, so the city must make these changes and improvements in
order to stay in compliance.
TIF Fund
Expended revenues from the Tax Increment Financing project total
$135,015 for the new year. The total expenditures are for bond
payments only and total $173,818. The gap of $42,053 will be filled
with money from the general fund.
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Conzo said that the amount to be collected on the TIF fund for this
year was the assessed value of properties in 2018 payable in 2019.
He said that under the current circumstances, he couldn’t predict
what would happen in the future, but the council should anticipate
that the amount collected could change substantially.
Michelle Bauer asked about the absence of any Façade Grant funding
in the TIF line. Conzo said that from previous conversations, he had
concluded that the council did not want façade grants paid out from
TIF funds. He said his impression had been that if there were to be
a façade grant it would be paid out of the general fund.
Bauer said that it had been confusing that the façade grants were
often considered TIF grants. Conzo agreed and said that the grants
had not actually been paid out of TIF revenues, but rather had been
paid through transfers to the TIF from the general fund. He went on
to say that for the coming year there is no money budgeted anywhere
for façade grants.
Motor Fuel Tax
Anticipated revenues from the Motor Fuel Tax line total $727,660.
Expenditures total $791,000. The gap in the amounts is filled by
dollars remaining in the account from previous years. Included in
this amount is $300,000 reimbursement for Fifth Street projects with
a matching $300,000 in expenditures. These are pending amounts as
the city works through the issues with the Fifth Street Road
Project.
Hotel/Motel Tax
Projected revenues from the Hotel/Motel Tax for 2019-20 total
$175,000, and expenditures total $166,773
Michelle Bauer asked that the city increase the pass-through amount
to the Logan County Tourism Bureau from 85 percent to 90 percent.
The city has seen an increasing number of requests for support of
local events by organizers. Bauer said that she felt those requests
should be going to the LCTB, but because the money is with the city,
people are coming to the council for their funding requests. With
the increase in funding to the LCTB, Bauer wants many of these
groups and organizations to be referred to the bureau.
The city is keeping money for maintenance of the Tropics Sign,
Railsplitter, support for the Logan County Genealogical & Historical
Society, Dock Dogs, and a line for Balloon Fest should it be revived
this year. The portion estimated to pass through to the tourism
bureau is $157,523.
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The city of Lincoln will host a Public Hearing on April 23rd at 7
p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. Following the hearing a
special voting session will be called where that aldermen will be
asked to adopt the proposed budget. Immediately following the voting
session, the council will go into its regular committee of the whole
meeting typically scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of the month.
[Nila Smith] |