The Culver Town Council has taken a step toward adopting their 2016 budget.
During last night’s meeting, a public hearing was held to review the document that will determine expenditures for the next year. As things stand, Culver sees modest increases in spending for its police and fire department budgets. The biggest jump was a projected $100-thousand increase in EMS expenses.
Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe says there have been plenty of changes in the department.
“EMS budget has gone up because the number of volunteers we have has gone down,” says Munroe. “So we’ve transitioned that department from primarily what used to be volunteer to pay part-time, and we have a few full-time employees.”
General Fund expenditures sit just over $1.37-million. In local street and road repairs, a $300 dollar annual increase is seen. Reductions in cost, however, largely came out of Culver’s Cumulative Capital Fund compared to 2015.
Following the public hearing on the budget, the Culver Town Council took the budget to first reading. Two more readings are required prior to adoption. Reviewing the budget with the Town Council follows a review of all county government bodies by the Marshall County Council last week.
Munroe says some projected grant funds, such as for “Safe Routes to School” are a bit uncertain in their timing.
“If they delay us, they had said at one point: if you guys can wait, we’ll pay all of your construction and you won’t have to do your own money,” says Munroe. “And we said: yeah, sure, we’ll do that, but we haven’t really gotten an answer from them on whether we’ve been delayed.”
Taking the time to present the budget allows members of the public to voice their concerns about spending plans for the next fiscal year.
The Culver Town Council approved the budget on first reading.
