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Valparaiso council approves multiple appropriations; delays several budget items for review
Summary
Council approved appropriations for a public-works storage shed and opioid-settlement reimbursements, amended and carried over a professional-services request for Baker Tilly, and carried over a cigarette-tax appropriation after debate.
At the Jan. 27 meeting the Valparaiso Common Council approved several budget items and took up additional appropriations for later review.
Ordinance 1: The council approved an appropriation from the Cumulative Capital Development fund for about $50,000 to complete an outdoor cold-storage shed for the public works campus. Clerk Treasurer Holly Taylor said the figure was included to provide a buffer; council approved the ordinance on final vote.
Ordinance 3: Council approved a $406,870 appropriation from opioid settlement funds to cover previously approved reimbursements to local nonprofits and service providers. Clerk Treasurer Taylor explained that some reimbursements had been approved by the council last year but could not be paid until the city appropriated the funds in the new fiscal year; she said payments would be processed once the appropriation is final and that annual state deposits of settlement funds typically occur once per year.
Ordinance 4 (professional services): The clerk-treasurer described two Baker Tilly invoices related to parcel-by-parcel tax analysis and other recurring professional services. After debate about recurring budget lines versus unanticipated invoices, council members agreed to amend the requested $150,000 appropriation to $68,000 (to cover known Baker Tilly invoices) and carry the ordinance to the next meeting for second reading.
Ordinance 5 (cigarette tax fund): Council debated a proposed $150,000 appropriation for council professional services from the cigarette-tax fund. Members proposed lowering the amount to $50,000, but the amendment failed 5-2 and the item was carried over for further consideration.
Clerk Treasurer Taylor advised grantees and vendors that some reimbursements will be processed once the appropriations are enacted and cautioned that the opioid fund may have limited cash until the annual state deposit is received.
