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Sellersburg clerk-treasurer flags park fund shortfall, recommends transfers and budget changes
Summary
Clerk-treasurer reported the parks fund is drawing down reserves, recommended shifting some sanitation salaries out of the parks budget and preparing a transfer at the next meeting to cover shortfalls.
Clerk-Treasurer Michelle told the Town of Sellersburg at a budget workshop that the parks fund has been spending more than it brings in and cash reserves are being used to cover the gap.
She said she shifted some levy from the general fund to the parks fund in the draft 2025 budget after a five-year analysis showed the parks fund "is not doing very well" and the town has been "eating into the cash balance." She recommended that student sanitation employees no longer be paid from the parks fund and that a transfer be prepared for the next meeting to cover negative salary balances.
How it matters: Michelle said park salaries are currently negative and need a transfer; she identified an immediate transfer for park decorations and lights to cover remaining-year salaries. "Those salaries are negative, like...11,000," she said. She told council members the parks board and Town Manager (Charlie) should work on longer-term solutions to stabilize the fund.
Details and next steps: Michelle said the parks fund includes a line of about $67,000 for decorations and lights and that she will present a transfer at the next meeting. She also said the parks board should look for creative revenue options and that the council will need to decide whether to change the levy allocation going forward. The clerk-treasurer flagged uncertainty about the next season's revenue and said a shortfall could make future funding "tricky."
