Williamsport City Council Receives 2023 Budget | News
WILLIAMSPORT, Pennsylvania — The proposed 2023 budget was presented to the Williamsport City Council at the city’s first budget meeting on Wednesday night.
The budget proposed by Mayor Derek Slaughter and Acting Treasurer Tracy Rush is $28,669,105 and does not include tax increases. this is, 2022 budget.
Rash said some of the budget is only an estimate because the River Valley Transit Authority has not provided “accurate and actionable data.”
Slaughter also commented on the budget, saying it was “to the best of our ability given the outdated accounting system, lack of coordination and auditing over the past four years, and time constraints.”
A major change to past budgets is the restructuring of capital project funds. Rash said the ARPA fund will send him $2 million to set up savings for the purchase that the department head said he needed.
Rash said the $2 million will allow the division to fund certain capital purchases in 2023 and save money for future investments.
For example, the memorial pool needs a new filtration system. The current one was installed in his 80s and uses materials “harmful to humans,” according to Public Works Director Scott Livermore.
A new upgraded filter is expected to cost about $200,000. Livermore plans to purchase them in 2027 by setting aside $40,000 annually in capital projects for its purchase. They keep setting aside $40,000 for a filter that has a projected five-year lifespan.
Every department has its own item for capital projects.
A combination of $21,170,389 in tax revenue and a 92% collection rate accounts for most of the budget’s funding. Other large sources of funding include his $4,020,516 federal grant, which is $3 million more than in 2022.
This significant increase is explained by the $25 million in ARPA funding received by the city, of which only about $5 million has been allocated. The rest of his ARPA funds he has to be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2026.
The rest of the budget funds go towards other grants, department income, account interest, fines, licenses and permits.
The largest expenditures are for police and fire, with proposed budgets of $10,836,741 and $7,515,797 respectively. This represents an increase of $593,632 for police budgets and a $778,595 increase for fire departments from 2022.
This is the current budget proposal. The budget may be revised prior to final approval scheduled for the December 8 Board meeting. Before that, another budget session is scheduled for Monday, November 21st.
https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/williamsport-city-council-receives-2023-budget/article_b86723a0-66b2-11ed-b716-d388d5329844.html Williamsport City Council Receives 2023 Budget | News
