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Toquerville council approves limited amended budget, increasing roadway and water fund authorities
Summary
City staff presented a fund-level amendment that increases budget authority for the Toquerville Parkway capital project and adjusts water-fund wage allocations; council approved the amendment unanimously.
Toquerville city council on July 1 approved a fund-level amendment to the city's fiscal year 2024'25 budget that increases authority for the Toquerville Parkway project and adjusts allocations in the water fund.
City staff member Ben told the council the city used a fund-level approach to the amendment rather than changing every line item. "State law only requires that you not exceed your total expenses in each fund," Ben said, and described three approaches to amendments before explaining why staff recommended changing just two funds.
The amendment increases the capital projects appropriation for the Toquerville Parkway by "about a million dollars," Ben said, explaining the change reflects uncertain timing of invoices from the contractor and the city's decision to appropriate the remaining funds available for the project'roughly $5.5 million in total funds referenced by staff. Ben said the amendment creates budget authority that covers a potential worst-case invoice scenario through the fiscal year end, but that the city will pay only the invoices it receives.
Ben also described changes in the water fund. "We increased wages in the water fund by $78,000," he said, adding the increase reflects a changed allocation of public-works labor hours from a presumed percentage to actual timekeeping when employees log hours to specific tasks. Ben said the shift corrected a prior opposite imbalance and is an accounting reallocation rather than a hiring or wage-rate change.
Council members asked how staff track employee time. Ben said employees log hours in a timekeeping program on their phones. He also described a $190,000 allocation to complete a water tank project that had not been budgeted earlier and noted roughly $90,000 remained to be spent; staff expect the work to be done by June 30.
After brief discussion the council voted to adopt the amended budget. The motion carried with all members voting in favor.
The council directed staff to continue presenting fund-level amendments and to discuss future amendment presentation preferences.
A copy of the amended budget and the slide presentation used at the meeting were referenced by staff during the discussion.
