Gunnison City Council approves final amended budget for FY 2024–25

The Gunnison City Council unanimously approved the city’s final amended budget for fiscal year 2024–25 at its June 18 meeting.

City staff presented changes that increased the amended budget by roughly $200,000, citing creation of new special fund accounts for water and sewer impact fees and a $186,200 transfer-in recorded for the year. "There's almost $200,000 more," the presenter said during the budget overview.

The presentation noted revenue variances: staff reported roughly $170,000 in property-tax receipts and $64,000 in personal-property tax—about $234,000 total—compared with a $240,000 figure the city had requested from the state. Sales tax receipts were described as stronger, moving from about $812,000 to $830,000, which partially offset shortfalls elsewhere.

Council discussed the rules governing impact fees and their allowable uses; staff stated the city must track impact fees separately and noted, "we have six years to spend" certain water-impact fee funds. The presenter also described a midyear transfer of approximately $47,000 from a storm-bond account and said the city recorded a transfer-in total of $186,200 for the year.

Staff said overall expenditures were down about $568,000 from the original budget and noted reserves and inflation-driven expenditures had influenced year-to-year totals. Council members agreed the added finance support next year should make reporting clearer: "This next year should look a lot better that way," one council member said.

A motion to approve the final amended budget was moved and seconded; the motion passed on a recorded unanimous vote.

The approved budget will be reflected in the city’s financial records going into the next fiscal-year cycle; staff told council they will return with more-detailed follow-up as the new reporting structure is implemented.