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Here’s A Look At What Is In Century’s $10.6 Million Budget
September 10, 2024
The Century Town Council voted unanimously a week ago to approve a tentative $10.6 million budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, which starts October 1.
The town did not make the complete budget available to the media or the public before the vote. The town provided it the following day in response to a formal public records request citing Florida statutes. The town’s delay caused a delay in our reporting.
RELATED: Transparency In Question: Century Council Approves Budget After Shutting Out Public Review
We’ve now had time to look at the complete budget and offer the following highlights of interest:
The budget summary states, “The proposed operating budget for this fiscal year is 43%greater than the previous year’s budget due to additional grants.”. The general fund grants decreased from a budgeted amount last fiscal year from just over $2.3 million to $350,000 as water fund grants increased from zero to $5 million.
The 2024-2025 budget includes an increase of $2,434,114 in both the total budget and the total expenditures of $10,607,009 this fiscal year compared to $8,172,895 last fiscal year. (Mathematically, that’s actually a 29.78% increase, not the $43% stated in writing by the town.)
Town employees will receive a 2.5% cost of living raise, while several employees that were at or near minimum wage will receive an additional $1 increase. Council members will be paid $3,606 annually, while the mayor makes $9,836 — both with no cost-of-living increase reflected in the budget.
The budget includes $132,000 for an interim town manager — split evenly three ways between the general fund, water fund and gas fund. That is much like the way the town splits the town clerk salary between departments.
The budget summary reflects $55,122 from ad valorem proceeds (property tax). There is an anticipated increase in miscellaneous revenue, mostly from $125,333 rent to be paid by AlgaPlast that located in the industrial park.
The budgets shows the town moving funds into the general fund by using $198,400 from reserves (much like a savings account), using $65,050 transferred from the garbage fund (revenue paid by residents for sanitation services) and $67,879 from the water fund (revenue from water customers).
General fund expenditures include a $6,000 increase for phone service, $1,200 more for the town hall alarm system, and increases for mayor and town manager travel, a previously unbudgeted $15,000 for council education, plus liability insurance, and $1,900 for Christmas hams and turkeys and $6,500 for fireworks (a decrease of $1,500). A “Culligan water rental” is $400. There is an increased allocation of $100,000 for street department salaries.
The “special revenue fund” shows the influx and expenditure of $554,449 in American Rescue Plan funds.
The town expects to spend an extra $72,00 on the water purchased for resale to consumers, and they allocated over $73,000 less for salaries while cutting callout time (overtime) by $10,000. There is $44,000 for a city manager/utilities director compared to zero last fiscal year.
They forecast $25,000 less revenue from natural gas customers this year. Budgeted salaries decrease $80,000, while the gas fund will contribute $44,000 for a city manager/utilities director as overtime drops by $7,500.
For the complete budget (pdf), click here.
Pictured: Last Tuesday night’s Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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