Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Statham reports preliminary finances: revenues lag budget, parks purchase to trigger midyear amendment
Summary
City staff told the council the city is 33% through the fiscal year with 26% of revenues received; tax receipts are pacing as expected and an above‑expected $308,000 insurance premium tax arrived. A recent parks land purchase pushed parks over budget and officials said a midyear amendment will capture that expense.
A finance department representative presented the preliminary Statham City financial report for the year through Oct. 31, saying the city is "33% through the fiscal year and we have 26% of total revenues received." The presentation said tax revenues are pacing at about 31% of the annual budget and property tax bills have been mailed with a Dec. 15 due date.
The finance staff noted the city received the annual insurance premium tax "of approximately 308,000," which exceeded expectations, and that charges for services (community center vendor fees and downtown garbage revenues) are at about 30% of budget. Licenses and permits were reported at 21%, reflecting typical winter slowdowns in building permits.
On expenditures, most departments are at or below year‑to‑date budget levels, the report said; legislative committees and the parks department have exceeded budgeted spending. The parks overrun was attributed in part to a recent land purchase and staff said a midyear budget amendment will be brought forward to account for that acquisition. The report also noted that some apparent surpluses in inspections and code enforcement reflect invoice timing rather than permanent savings.
Utility funds were reported to be performing well, with utility revenues at 60% of budget owing partly to unbudgeted sewer capacity sales and higher‑than‑expected water tap activity; utility departments combined showed expenditures near 19% of annual budget, attributed to invoices not yet recorded.
The finance presentation concluded with an invitation for council questions; none were asked and the report was accepted for the record without formal action.
