Plain City adopts five‑year general fund forecast tool, discusses tax and debt policies

Plain City Council and the village personnel and finance committee reviewed a newly developed five‑year general fund forecasting tool at a joint work session Feb. 27, 2025, with municipal finance adviser David Connolly of Rock Mill Financial presenting the model and assumptions.

The forecast focuses on the village general fund and uses a 7% annual growth assumption for income tax receipts in the baseline scenario; Connolly described the model as a planning tool rather than a budget and recommended updates roughly every six months to track changes in housing, wages and development.

The tool groups hundreds of line items into larger categories to produce an available ending balance and a minimum ending balance, which Connolly said the village should watch closely as a “rainy day” target. Connolly told elected officials that Plain City’s general fund reserves are stronger than they have been in the village’s history and that the new forecasting tool will improve management and…