The Village of South Jacksonville finally has a new budget.
The Board of Trustees held a public hearing last night for the fiscal year 2023 budget year which runs from May 1, 2022, to April 30th, 2023.
During the regular meeting on September 9th, the Board of Trustees got a first look at the draft budget which projected the Village to run in a deficit of more than $400,000.00 over last year.
Village President Dick Samples said following the meeting that although some minor adjustments have been made, there is not much change since the first reading of the budget. “It’s about the same. We passed an appropriations budget which means that we vote on anything there is anyway as far as spending money big money and we’re simply just going to pull our horns in and do it like we’ve done it in the past. Just because it’s in the budget doesn’t mean it’s going to get spent.”
During the public hearing, new Village Treasurer Mindy Olson said during her report that the appropriations laid out in the budget are there to help cover the village should the need arise, and ultimately that deficit could be smaller by the end of the fiscal year.
“Just to remind the public in attendance and the board the appropriations budget is just that, it’s appropriating funds. We do not have to spend the funds, we just have to be able to have the funds approved if the need arises. So even though you have say, I’m just going to pick a number, one hundred thousand dollars in equipment does not mean we are spending that money.
But if you don’t have it appropriated and you try to spend it, then there’s a lot more steps, then you have problems. So that’s why you always tend to appropriate a little higher than what it normally is so that you have it in case something comes up or something like that. And I did put together for the public and for the board also, an estimate of revenues. The couple things that I will not on there, I always tend to estimate revenues low, and expenses high, that way you are covered in all aspects.”
following the public hearing, the Board of Trustees immediately went into special session and passed the budget unanimously.
When asked why the budget was passed nearly five months past the start of the current fiscal year, Samples said it was due to “past personnel problems.”