Finance director warns of budget pressures; council debates remediation plan and ARPA funds for 1500 West Galbraith
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
City finance staff asked Aug. 11 that council approve $19,020 in additional general-fund appropriations and urged approval of the tax budget to meet the county's certification timeline; the Budget & Finance committee also heard a lengthy presentation on environmental remediation and stabilization options for the municipal building at 1500 West Galbraith, including a contractor quote of $743,308 and proposed ARPA funding.
Finance staff presented the June month-end reconciliation to the Budget & Finance committee on Aug. 11, outlined internal line-item reallocations and requested additional appropriations. Staff said the general fund reallocation exercise moved dollars among line items to reflect personnel and operating realities and asked the committee to approve an additional appropriation of $19,020 for the general fund.
"I do not like the waste collection number, and I'm still digging into that," Finance staff Shiva Stevens said during the presentation, noting a suspected rolling-forward accounting issue and that auditors and external CPAs were assisting. She told the committee that the cityis "overencumbered" in the fire-levy line pending receipts and expects reimbursements for certain road work (Galbraith Road) where the city fronts costs and is later reimbursed approximately 90%.
Stevens summarized the tax-budget timeline and urged council to approve the tax budget so the city can submit it to Hamilton County; she warned the deadline had passed and the city was operating under an extension.
The committee then spent substantial time on the municipal building at 1500 West Galbraith. Administration presented contractor RWB's estimate for Phase 1 stabilization and environmental abatement: RWB's invoice/quote was presented at $743,308 for remediation tasks (roof repairs, asbestos and environmental abatement, mold remediation and related work). Staff said available ARPA funding of approximately $483,000 could be applied to the work, leaving a remaining city obligation identified in the presentation of roughly $105,308 after other smaller allocations and a possible $100,000 grant under review.
Council members raised process and legal questions. Several inspectors and the building/code official had advised that removing the West Wing could trigger additional obligations, including environmental disposal, utility routing and parcel/insurance implications; staff cautioned that ARPA rules and grant conditions could restrict uses and that returning federal funds might be required if the expenditures did not meet program rules. Finance staff warned the purchase order and encumbrance processes are constrained: if the encumbered ARPA funds are not used as envisioned, the city may be required to return the federal dollars.
Council did not adopt the proposed RWB contract or a demolition plan that night; the committee tabled further action and agreed to return items to a future meeting. The committee entered executive session earlier in the agenda on matters cited as Ohio Revised Code authorities and later adjourned after tabling additional discussion.