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Treasurer reports revenue ahead of projection; wastewater overages tied to turbine downtime and repair costs
Summary
The clerk‑treasurer reported nine‑month revenues ahead of forecast, driven by tax billing and reimbursements, but noted water/wastewater expenses above budget largely from emergency repairs and the wind turbine being offline; staff stressed grant reimbursements and ongoing grant applications to offset capital costs.
Joyce, the city clerk‑treasurer, presented the city's 9‑month financial report: total income of $6,263,318 and revenue roughly $1.7M ahead of earlier projections due to timing of annual tax billing, front‑footage assessments and grant reimbursements. She cautioned that many grant‑funded items appear as expenditures before reimbursements arrive, which can make interim statements look worse than the underlying fiscal position.
Joyce and department staff discussed the wastewater account, which showed a large headline overage until grant reimbursements are removed from the calculation. After grant adjustments, the wastewater fund was roughly $82,000 over the 9‑month budget. Staff attributed the incremental operating overage primarily to frequent wind turbine outages — the city has paid as much as $12,000–$18,000 in monthly electric bills when the turbine was offline — and to chemical and contractor costs incurred during a sand‑filter outage and other emergency repairs. Joyce noted that several substantial projects (including Cove pump station work) are grant‑funded and will be reimbursed.
Councilors asked for continuing updates; staff said they are pursuing several grant applications to cover wastewater treatment plant compliance and capital needs (applications in progress include SRF/loan‑forgiveness and USDA earmarks). No vote was taken; staff will return with updated grant award status and revised projections.
