Council pushes for clearer budget lines, monthly tracking of 'miscellaneous' accounts

Midway City council members asked staff to make the public works budget more transparent by splitting large combined lines and providing regular reports that show spending against individual budget lines.

Council members said several account lines are currently broad — for example, general shop supplies and miscellaneous maintenance — which makes it hard to see whether actual spending is tracking to planned purchases. They requested that predictable 'hard' costs (for example, planned equipment purchases) be separated from flexible emergency or miscellaneous funds so the council can distinguish 'have to have' expenses from discretionary purchases.

Staff explained the current process: purchases are coded by receipt, Jennifer and Nancy review coding, the mayor reviews as needed, and receipts require multiple signatures for internal control. Staff also said department summaries can be printed monthly to show budgeted amounts, amounts spent and percent remaining. Several council members asked that these monthly reports be color‑coded (for example, yellow when a line gets near budget and red when it is exceeded) and that staff provide more granular breakout for specific items (tools, tires, storm‑drain cleaning) where large sums are currently combined.

The council directed staff to: identify and separate recurring fixed costs from miscellaneous/emergency funds where practical; maintain a running spreadsheet for large miscellaneous accounts to show each purchase and remaining balance; and provide monthly budget reports that include line‑item detail on high‑value categories. Staff agreed to prepare the requested breakdowns and to come back with clarifications on coding and reporting practices.

There was no formal vote recorded on the item; the action requested was procedural direction to improve transparency and reporting.