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Waterville council holds public hearing on 2025 appropriations; finance director reports modest revenue gains
Summary
The City of Waterville opened and closed a public hearing on the 2025 annual appropriations ordinance and heard a finance report showing 2024 income tax collections above estimates; council deferred final action to Jan. 27.
The City of Waterville City Council opened and closed a public hearing on the ordinance adopting the municipality’s annual appropriations for fiscal year 2025, and council members heard a finance report showing 2024 income-tax collections exceeded estimates.
The hearing concerned ordinance 1124, the city’s annual appropriations ordinance for the year ending Dec. 31, 2025. The council opened the public hearing at the Jan. 13 meeting and then closed it with no public testimony; the third reading and final legislative action are scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.
John (Finance Director) told the council that December 2024 collections were $308,061 and that total 2024 income-tax receipts were $5,201,970, roughly $108,720 more than the estimate used in the 2024 budget. He said 2024 collections were about $159,149, or approximately 3.16 percent, higher than 2023 totals.
John also said beginning fund balances in the 2025 operating budget will be higher than earlier estimates once final 2024 revenue and expenditure numbers are closed out. He noted a county ALS (advanced life support) agreement will bring roughly $402,000 in full-year funding to the city’s fire fund in 2025, reducing transfers from the general fund to the fire fund by about $500,000 compared with 2024.
The city also reviewed its five-year capital program during the meeting but took no final vote on the capital plan. John said the council first reviewed the five-year capital program on Nov. 13 and that one project—the Waterville Mont Clovid widening project—had been moved from 2025 to a later year in the plan; no other material changes were reported. Councilmembers were told the council will take action on the capital plan at a future meeting.
The council scheduled the final vote on ordinance 1124 for Jan. 27, when members will consider the updated 2024 actuals incorporated into the 2025 appropriations and operating budget.
For context: the hearing followed routine agenda business and finance briefings; council did not receive public comment on ordinance 1124 during the Jan. 13 meeting.
