Proposed Berwick budget covers essentials

The town’s proposed 2016-17 budget shows a $1.26 million drop in expenses from the 2015-16 adopted budget because of the economic downturn in the region. But town officials say the cuts won’t have any effect on essential services.
On Tuesday, the council introduced the town’s 2016-17 budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The budget will be up for adoption at the September council meeting.
The proposed budget includes $4.091 million in expenses, down over 23 percent from the $5.35 million budget the council adopted in 2015-16. However, the town now expects to actually spend about $4.085 million by the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year.
The 2016-17 proposed budget includes $5.1 million in revenues, down from the $6.62 million of revenues in the adopted 2015-16 budget. Amended revenues the town expects to approve for the 2015-16 year total $5.29 million.
Berwick officials tried to spread the budget cuts evenly through the different departments for the upcoming fiscal year, Town Chief Administrative Officer Newell “Bubba” Slaughter said.
Berwick sales tax collections are down over $300,000 from 2014-15 to 2015-16, and officials carried that $300,000 over to the 2016-17 proposed budget, he said.
“We just kind of held everything down to what we think we can do with the funds available,” Slaughter said.
Leaders aren’t cutting back on any services that residents and business owners expect to have. Officials will also focus on making repairs where necessary in the town, Slaughter said.
“What we’re not doing is the frills that we normally do,” Slaughter said.
Because of the downturn in the economy, the only state capital outlay expense the town is expecting in the coming year is for the purchase of a new police car.
Town leaders expect to have a fund balance of $4,334,498 by the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year, a very slight drop from the $4,329,705 projected ending fund balance for the end of the 2015-16 year.
In 2014-15, the town of Berwick collected $5.9 million in total revenues and spent $4.79 million.
Expenses by department for the 2016-17 budget include the following: general government, $933,014; police department, $985,213; fire department, $148,669; streets, $436,283; drainage, $136,739; recreation, $290,903; cemetery maintenance, $45,000; development district, $3,500; and combined special revenues, $1.11 million.
Town officials expect to collect $2.55 million in taxes and franchise fees, and another $1 million in operating transfers in the general fund in 2016-17. Officials anticipate collecting $750,000 for sewer and garbage services, $295,000 for licenses, permits and leases, $208,500 in miscellaneous revenues, $180,500 in intergovernmental revenues and $2,600 from interest on investments.
In other business, the council
—Introduced an ordinance to amend the 2015-16 budget.
—Introduced ordinances to issue wharf leases to Sewart Supply and Jo Ann Butler on the riverfront for a five-year period with an option to renew for five more years.