Council tables several year-end transfers and revolving-fund reauthorizations; CAFO warns free-cash deadline could raise taxes

The Lawrence City Council on June 23 considered a routine set of year-end transfers and requests to reauthorize city revolving funds but repeatedly tabled several items, prompting department directors and the acting chief administrative and financial officer (CAFO) to warn of timing risks.

Acting CAFO Ramona Caraballo told the council that free-cash transfers and year-end transfers must be completed before the fiscal-year cutoff, or the city risks adding unresolved deficits to the tax recap. "Free cash ends this week," Caraballo said. "If we don't clear up the snow-and-ice deficit, we're gonna have to add it to the tax recap, which means we're gonna raise more taxes," she said. The meeting record shows the snow-and-ice deficit discussed as an amount exceeding $1 million.

Several reauthorization…