Council Approves 2013 Budget

LINCOLN — The City Council approved the city’s 2013 budget on Jan. 28 at a special meeting.

The General Fund budget shows projected total revenues at $1.2 million with expenditures at $1.1 million.

Lincoln Police Department is expected to bring in $408,557 for the year with expenditures totaling $399,275.

City Manager Chuck Wood said one difference with the 2013 budget was the inclusion of LOPFI expenses.

“We changed the way we had been doing our accounting,” Wood said. “Basically we’re doing it now like corporations do. That requires us to put LOPFI payments in with wages.”

LOPFI is the state’s Local Police and Fire Retirement System.

Collections for the retirement fund are expected total $2,776 this year.

Consolidated Maintenance Department is budgeted to bring in $560,223 in revenue and spend $534,608.

Lincoln Water Department has a total revenue budget of $2 million with expenditures about the same.

A new Lincoln Public Library will be built during the year with a possible opening date in September. In the meantime, the library has a revenue budget of $190,671 with expenditures of $131,523.

The capital improvement budget reflects $690,000 in revenues.

Expenses during the year include consolidated maintenance, street repair, sidewalks, library equipment, tornado siren and Lincoln Water Department truck.

The projected cost of those items would be $275,000, which would leave a net difference of $415,000 in the capital improvement account.

“We’re going to have to watch the budget closely,” Wood told the council.

Some revisions had to be made to the budget, which brought about the special meeting so council members could approve the 2013 budget before a Jan. 31 deadline.

State law requires cities to submit annual budgets by the end of January.