City Council OKs 2018 budget

Amount represents 7.4 percent increase from 2017 budget

With no questions or concerns, Painesville City Council recently approved the 2018 operating budget.

In the last several weeks, Finance Director Andrew Unetic conducted numerous presentations explaining the $78.5 million budget.

Unetic said the city’s finances are stable, noting that most of the capital projects for 2018, totaling over $10 million, will be paid for in cash.

Next year’s budget amount represents a 7.4 percent increase from the 2017 original budget.

“The 2018 increased budget is due to the city requesting $19.8 million for capital projects, which is $5.1 million more than the 2017 capital project requests,” City Manager Monica Irelan’s legislative report states. “The large capital projects the city is requesting in 2018 are: $8.4 million for the continued construction of the water intake; $4.5 million for AMI

Unetic said the city’s finances are stable, noting that most of the capital projects for 2018, totaling over $10 million, will be paid for in cash.

(Advanced Metering Infrastructure) metering project and spending $2.2 million on paving roads. Out of the major funds, the General, Sewer, and Electric Funds have a balanced budget.”

The 2018 road projects includes Richmond Road at $972,474; Walnut Avenue at $606,000; Bank Street Erosion Control at $200,000; Pearl Street at $125,000; Transit Street at $60,000; engineering for Jackson Street at $123,000; and

sidewalk improvements at $130,000.

Councilwoman Lori DiNallo asked if the expenditures are greater than the expected revenues.

“No,” Unetic said. “The revenues are actually coming in higher than projected.”

At the most recent meeting, Irelan also presented information to Council regarding the cemetery fund. A resident previously questioned why money is being transferred from the general fund to the cemetery fund and why the cemetery fund is not self-sustaining.

Irelan said the last cemetery

increase was in 2012 and she has been working with Michelle LaPuma, director of recreations and public lands, to research other cemeteries in Lake County.

“We adjusted our interment fees to reflect the amount of labor required to complete the tasks,” she said. “We also increased our Saturday fees, since Saturday burials incur overtime. Using these rates with the sales in 2017, we would have brought in approximately $60,000 to $75,000 in additional revenue.”

However, the revenue generated is not enough to cover the subsidy from the general fund, but Irelan said she will continue to look into ways to cut costs and increase revenues.

The money transferred from the general fund covers general operations, including employee salaries and property maintenance. In 2017, $250,000 was transferred from the general fund to the cemetery fund and in 2018, $205,000 will be transferred, Unetic said.

Overall, administration and Council expressed satisfaction with the appropriations for expenses and expenditures as they move forward with the 2018 budget.