Golf Manor finance committee reviews $30,000 appropriations list, defers vote to July 7

The Golf Manor Village Finance Committee discussed a roughly $30,000 appropriations amendment tied to a police Tahoe camera purchase and ongoing cloud subscription costs and reviewed the village's 2026 tax-budget packet, but committee members deferred any vote on appropriations until the committee's July 7 meeting.

The discussion centered on a new camera system for a police Tahoe that the village expects will cost $13,100 for hardware and an associated cloud service, replacing an earlier $2,500 camera purchase the vendor advised against. "There was originally budgeted for a used camera...that camera is actually not even available," said Britney, a village staff member, explaining why the department moved to the newer, cloud-based system. The staff estimate presented to the committee listed the camera hardware at about $9,000 and a total purchase price of $13,100.

Why it matters: committee members were asked to track several small appropriations so the village can include them in a single operations amendment rather than approving piecemeal changes later in the fiscal year. Staff said the running list of items is currently just over $30,000; some of that total includes reimbursements and funds carried from 2024, and committee members pressed for detail on recurring subscription fees tied to the new camera system.

Key details: staff described the $13,100 camera package as including hardware and an annual cloud subscription supported by the camera vendor, Motorola. Britney said $2,500 had originally been budgeted for the camera, meaning the switch increases the Tahoe's cost by about $10,600. Committee members were told the total appropriations amendment being compiled is roughly $30,000 and that about $6,000 of that total are reimbursements; staff stated that a portion of the funding being used is from non-encumbered 2024 funds as discussed during the meeting.

Committee members asked for recurring-cost figures before they vote. "When we look at appropriations and actually get to start voting on it, I'd love to see any sort of continual fees," said a committee member. Britney responded that she did not have the subscription figures in front of her at the meeting but said she would send them to the members. The committee also heard that a grant the village applied for would cover at least the first year of subscription costs for some cameras, but future annual fees remain a concern for small communities.

Tax budget review: the committee reviewed the 2026 tax-budget packet prepared by village staff and supported by a revenue letter from Hamilton County Auditor Jessica Miranda. The auditor's letter provided an estimated range for municipal income tax; the packet used a conservative estimate of $1.1 million for municipal income-tax receipts for 2026, with the auditor's range described in the packet as between $1.1 million and $1.2 million. "We're expecting municipal income tax at 1.1," Britney said when describing the staff assumption. The packet includes department-level line-item detail and a tab for the road fund, which staff said expects about $1.1 million in capital investment in 2026, separate from roughly $85,000 per year the village pays on interest-free loans.

Process and timing: staff told the committee the July 15 county deadline for the tax budget requires the village to submit the tax budget in advance; the committee will consider and is expected to vote on the tax budget at its July 7 meeting. No appropriation motions were proposed or voted on at the June session; staff said they will bring the consolidated appropriations amendment back to the July meeting after the solicitor reviews final materials and after staff compiles outstanding transactions.

Other committee actions: the committee adopted the meeting agenda and approved minutes as amended earlier in the session, and scheduled the next finance committee meeting for Monday, July 7, 2025, at 7 p.m. The meeting adjourned after those items.

Documents and follow-up: staff identified the supporting materials attached to the packet'a Hamilton County auditor letter and internal line-item schedules'and offered to provide subscription cost figures and the monthly finance report to members before the July meeting so members can see prior spending against line items.

The committee did not make any final appropriations decisions during the meeting; members requested clearer breakdowns of which portion of the $30,000 list are reimbursements, which items rely on non-encumbered 2024 funds, and the expected recurring subscription fees for the new camera system. The finance committee will reconvene July 7 to take formal action on the tax budget and the appropriations amendment.