• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

PRESSLED

Your Leading News Source

PRESSLED
Your Leading News Source

  • Home
  • BUSINESS
  • MONEY
  • POLITICS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • US
  • Meet the Reporters
  • About/Contact

City Finishes 2020 In The Black | News, Sports, Jobs

May 14, 2021 by Staff Reporter

By Dennis Phillips

dphillips@post-journal.com

A lot has changed during the last few months when dealing with the 2020 financial outlook for the city of Jamestown.

In January, prior to Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist’s State of the City address, city officials were looking at a potential $1.1 million deficit in 2020. However, with the passage of the federal stimulus package, the city is now looking to finish last year in the black.

On Monday, Ryan Thompson presented the unaudited 2020 year-end financial report to the Jamestown City Council. He said the city finished last year with a $975,643 surplus. He added with the state no longer withholding state aid to municipalities following the approval of the stimulus package, which meant an additional $12.3 billion to the state in direct, unrestricted aid, the city will be made whole.

“(The full amount of state aid) is driving a large amount of the surplus,” Thompson said.

Even though the city will finish in the black in 2020, not all of the financial news was positive. Last year, the city lost $274,096 in parking violations and parking garage and meter fee revenues, Jamestown Board of Public Utility PILOT revenues decreased $118,809 and police and fire department employee salaries, following new agreements, increased more than $1.12 million.

Thompson also presented the council a first-quarter 2021 financial report Monday. He said the BPU PILOT payments for electric and water divisions are exceeding budget, but water, waste water and solid waste are running short of the financial plan. He said, collectively, all the divisions together are right on budget so far this year.

Parking violations are running ahead of budget, as the city has received 41% of its budgeted revenue, Thompson said. He said the city’s ticket collection vendor started sending outstanding tickets to collections, resulting in an increase in payments. However, parking lots and garages/on-street parking meters are trailing budget projections. He said also the monthly revenues for parking garages have not been enough to cover operating costs. As a whole, the three revenues project to be slightly below budget for the year.

Again, because the state is receiving billions in federal stimulus funding, the state will not be withholding 20% of the city’s state aid in 2021. Thompson said this means an additional $1.1 million from the state.

Sales tax revenues are also up for the city. Thompson said county officials have informed him that the city will receive an additional 4.65% in first-quarter sales tax revenue compared to 2020, which is an increase of $73,000.

As for expenditures, Thompson said because of the recent contract negotiations with the police and fire department unions, salaries for these two departments have increased $1.23 million in the 2021 budget.

In other business, the city and Jamestown Community College are looking to enter into a shared services agreement to hire a grant writer. Sundquist said the city currently doesn’t have a grant writer and employees in several different departments are spending time away from their primary duties to write grants. He said the city doesn’t necessarily need a full-time grant writer, which is also the same position JCC is in currently.

Maria Kindberg, JCC Foundation executive director, said the college has a difficult time finding a quality grant writer. She said the college’s salary range has been below other agencies looking for grant writers.

“They have always gone where they are offered more money,” she said.

Sundquist said the plan would be for the college and city to split the cost for the grant writer 50/50. Also, the position would have an office at both JCC and at the Jamestown Municipal Building. He said the new worker would be considered a city employee, but would be non-union. The shared services agreement would be for two years.

“It’s a wonderful way to work with the college, who has been such a strong partner in the work we are doing,” he said.

The council is slated to vote on the proposal at its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

Originally Appeared On: https://www.post-journal.com/news/local-news/2021/04/city-finishes-2020-in-the-black/

Filed Under: BUSINESS, MONEY

Primary Sidebar

More to See

EJ Jenkins Hopes to be a Versatile Receiving Threat for Georgia Tech This Season

One of Georgia Tech's most impactful incoming transfers could be EJ Jenkins. Jenkins is coming over from South Carolina, where he was used as a wide … [Read More...] about EJ Jenkins Hopes to be a Versatile Receiving Threat for Georgia Tech This Season

Stock futures dip following S&P 500’s third winning week in a row

Traders on the floor of the NYSE, Aug. 4, 2022.Source: NYSEStock futures traded slightly lower in overnight trading Sunday, following the S&P 500's … [Read More...] about Stock futures dip following S&P 500’s third winning week in a row

Why it is a must to choose your Realtor wisely?

In 2021, Las Vegas experienced its most frenzied market in years. Any agent could put a house on the market and it had a considerable chance to sell. … [Read More...] about Why it is a must to choose your Realtor wisely?

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About/ Contact
Copyright © 2022 · PRESSLED · As Amazon Associates we earn commissions from qualifying purchases · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT