Sharonville finance director flags revenue volatility as audit and City Hall remodel proceed

Finance Director Scott McKeon told the Sharonville City Council on an evening meeting that income-tax collections were down year over year and that some funds remain below budgeted targets as the city heads into budget season.

“We expect those fluctuations to even out for our next report and, certainly through the end of the year,” McKeon said, adding that income-tax collections were down 1.73% compared with this time last year and that the city had collected 74.9% of budgeted general-fund revenue through July. He also reported 92.8% of budgeted street-fund revenue and 71.3% of budgeted fire-fund revenue had been collected to date.

McKeon reviewed personnel changes in the finance office, then described a new five-year contract with Plattenberg and Associates to perform the city’s audit. He said the audit will be a federal single audit because the city expended more than $750,000 in federal funds during the audit period.

The finance director also showed council members renderings of the North City Hall remodel, which will open the former police lobby into a customer-interaction area and a more open bullpen for tax staff. McKeon said the remodel converts roughly 39 smaller concrete-block spaces into about 19 larger workstations to improve public service and staff workflow.

On reserves and refunds, McKeon said the city has been managing set-asides and fund-balance practices to address volatility in income-tax refunds following shifts since the COVID period. He said refund timing is the most volatile in the fourth quarter and that staff expects to “dial that refunds contribution down a little bit to the 2026 budget.” He told council a draft budget book is planned for mid-November and urged members to expect more detail in the coming months.

What’s next: council members heard the report and were given time to ask questions; McKeon will deliver detailed budget materials later this fall.