Spending more time at home could lead to higher utility bills. Winamac Town Manager Brad Zellers recently told the town council that some residential customers will see a noticeable increase.
“Before, if they get up for an hour and a half in the morning, go to work, they’re gone all day, come home, they’re awake four or five hours, go to bed; now, they’re home 16 hours a day,” Zellers explained. “So their utilities – their water, their electric, and sewer – some of them are going to be a little higher.”
The town council previously agreed to waive late fees on utility bills in April and May.
At the same time, Winamac is preparing for a shortfall in tax revenues, due to COVID-19. Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger told council members that accounting firm Baker Tilly predicts that revenues could be 30 to 70 percent lower than anticipated. She added that Winamac was already expecting a deficit this year, due in part to challenges with Pulaski County’s local income tax structure.
The town council agreed to let Baker Tilly put together a cash flow analysis for the town’s major funds through the end of the year, as well as a two-to-three-year financial plan. That’s expected to cost the town about $5,500.
