Century’s Gas Fund Continues To Lose Cash; General Fund Shows Unanticipated Gain

June 27, 2019

Financial reports show that the Town of Century gas department is continuing to bleed cash, while an unanticipated windfall has pushed the general fund into the black for the first eight months of the fiscal year.

The gas fund had a loss of $114,610 from October 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, according to a financial report obtained by NorthEscambia.com.

The garbage fund showed a net income for the period of $8,305 after a transfer of $26,000 to the gas fund.

The gas fund, however, only showed a $10,000 transfer from the garbage fund as income on the balance sheet presented at the most recent Century Town Council Meeting. A $16,000 transfer from the garbage fund does not appear in the gas fund for the month of May. Town accountant Robert Hudson was unable to immediately explain why when asked during that meeting.

The general fund showed income to date $71,862 greater than budgeted due to $118,000 more income that budgeted from the Capital Trust Agency (CTA).

CTA is an independent public body for the purpose of financing or otherwise accomplishing development programs. Century entered into the Capital Trust Agency with Gulf Breeze in 1999 with Century essentially serving as the “second signature” for CTA, certifying that the projects meet a public purpose under IRS rules and regulations.

The water and sewer department had income of $48,369, or about $2,300 greater than anticipated to date.

Century’s fiscal year ends on September 30.

Comments

14 Responses to “Century’s Gas Fund Continues To Lose Cash; General Fund Shows Unanticipated Gain”

  1. Rasheed Jackson on June 28th, 2019 8:23 pm

    @ Just saying
    If people are cutting off locks and not paying for months, wouldn’t that be considered, receiving free services? The solution is drain the swamp, from the mayor down, every employee needs to go. Not that they are all bad but Century needs a clean slate.

  2. Never ending story on June 28th, 2019 5:28 pm

    It’s the meter readers job and the billing clerk and supervisors JOB. Citizens can’t trespass.

    Nice try to get volunteers to show up at a meeting. Don’t understand the idea residents need to show up at a meeting.

    It comes back down to the people elected and the people hired and being paid to do their job.

    True a citizen pays their bills, takes care of themselves and votes, the meeting is for the council to bring up and talk about what they have done.

    So yes where is the 16K

    Can the accountant do his job?

    Who is providing oversite?

    Can they do their job?

  3. Jennie on June 28th, 2019 8:54 am

    It’s so obvious that so many of you do not know what you are talking about. I definitely agree with “just my opinion”.

  4. atmoredude on June 27th, 2019 10:17 pm

    Hudson gets paid a lot of money to be answering questions with “I don’t know”.

  5. BIG JOHN on June 27th, 2019 7:19 pm

    SO HERE WE GO AGAIN, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPEN TO THE MONEY, ,WHO IS GETTING FREE GAS WELL IT’S THE SAME OLD STORY! MAYBE IT IS LIKE THE SERGEANT ON HOGAN’S HEROES, I KNOW NOTHING, NOTHING. AGAIN HOW LONG BEFORE SOMEONE GO’S TO JAIL OR THE COUNTY STEP IN AND TAKE OVER. YES HOW LONG!!!

  6. Preston Hardy on June 27th, 2019 4:42 pm

    $26,000 was taken from the garbage fund to be transferred to the gas fund, but only $10,000 was deposited in the gas fund. That’s some pretty creative bookkeeping. Did they think no one would notice that $16,000 of the people’s money had disappeared?

    How long can this go on before criminal charges are brought against the perpetrators?

  7. Hmm on June 27th, 2019 3:07 pm

    @Just my opinion isn’t that the meter reader’s job?

  8. Chris on June 27th, 2019 10:53 am

    So we should donate our time, because Century is too busy donating gas to customers?

  9. Chris on June 27th, 2019 9:33 am

    Liars may figure, but figures don’t lie.

  10. IMHO on June 27th, 2019 9:26 am

    So what happened to the new gas meters that were purchased?

  11. Just my opinion on June 27th, 2019 9:23 am

    Just thinking logically or with a tiny amount of common sense which apparently is lacking. Do you not think if people were receiving “free” services that to shut all the negative comments up, it would be resolved by the employees? I mean really, how about rallying behind your elected officials and quit all your negative comments. I mean, if I were them and knew supposedly who was receiving “free” services, to fix the issue. Did you ever think that maybe no one is receiving free services?. That maybe its people who remove the locks from their meters when they do not pay for months at a time. If anyone has time to donate and would like to walk every mile of Century and verify the services provided/being received verses a log of active customers, present yourself to the next town council meeting and present you are willing to assist in helping the community. Do your part instead if complaining? If you do not live there its nothing to you, if you live there be a part of the solution NOT the problem.

  12. sam on June 27th, 2019 8:35 am

    there is no way that some people working for the city don’t know who the people are not being charged or paying their utility bills. it’s been going on far too long. we have heard nothing about it being corrected.

  13. Oversight on June 27th, 2019 6:38 am

    So how many of the 900 plus gas service connections that were reported in an earlier article are actually being billed now?

  14. Hmmmm on June 27th, 2019 2:01 am

    Hmmm… someone putting money back in the system before it shows up where it went missing? Seems like Hudson should be able to figure out where the money came from… but then again…..