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Abbeville posts modest revenue gains in first-quarter financial review
Summary
City staff told the finance committee Abbeville’s first-quarter revenues were slightly higher than last year and modestly ahead of budget, while payroll and several departments ran a small variance over budget.
Abbeville finance staff presented a first-quarter financial review to the council’s finance committee on May 20, 2025, reporting small year-over-year revenue gains and payroll and departmental expenditures largely in line with budget.
The finance presenter told the committee that sales tax revenue for the first three months of 2025 totaled about $1,577,000, up from about $1,540,000 in the same quarter of 2024, an increase she described as roughly 1–2 percent. The presenter said sales tax was about 6 percent ahead of the city’s budgeted expectation for the quarter, yielding a favorable variance of about $90,000 for the period.
The presenter said water and sewer receipts each totaled about half a million dollars for the quarter (water about $5.516 million and sewer about $540,000 was the phrasing used), and that both were ahead of the same quarter last year and approximately 5 percent above the quarter’s budgeted amounts. Electric sales revenue for the quarter was reported at $884,000 compared with $853,000 the prior year.
The nut graf: the city appears to be tracking slightly better on revenue than projected, but payroll and some department expenses were modestly above budget and will be watched over the remainder of the fiscal year.
On payroll, the presenter said general-fund payroll for the first quarter was higher than the prior year and about 5 percent above budgeted projections for the quarter; overall the city-wide payroll variance for the quarter was presented as a $27,000 favorable position (roughly 1.6 percent). The utility fund payroll was noted to be about $37,000 (8 percent) over its quarter budget, with sewer overtime and electric payroll cited as drivers.
On non-payroll department spending, the presenter said general government operations and most departments were within or only modestly above budget: police expenditures were higher than the prior year and roughly $64,000 above budget for the quarter (the presenter attributed part of that to one‑time computer and software costs); fire department spending was about 4 percent ahead of budget; streets were reported roughly 13 percent over budget in the quarter’s figure described; parks and recreation showed a favorable variance. The presenter summarized that overall revenues were “slightly more efficient than the year before” and that expenses were “pretty much in line” with the adopted budget for the quarter.
Council members thanked department heads for conservative budgeting and for managing resources. No formal action was taken; the review was presented for committee information.
Ending: The finance presenter and council members said staff will continue to monitor variances through the fiscal year and report updates at future meetings.
