Local News
AP budget shows savings
Marc Valero | Highlands Today
Published: January 21, 2013
AVON PARK - City Manager Julian Deleon informed the city council recently that all the city's finances look good, according to an unaudited summary of the city's budgeted funds for 2011-12.Published: January 21, 2013
The general fund budgeted expenditures were $5.78 million, but the actual expenditures were $5.28 million, which is about $500,000 in savings, he said. The utility fund budgeted $5.1 million with actual expenditures of about $4.5 million, resulting in $680,000 in savings.
Deleon explained that the airport fund, with actual expenditures of $785,210, was more than $302,000 over budget.
"We have received some FAA grants that we have had to put expenses before we receive the revenue and that is why you see some differences," he said.
The sanitation fund looked good with the city's annexation program, Deleon said. The expenditures came in nearly $75,000 under budget.
Revenue projections were very close to the actual revenue for the general fund and the utility fund.
The airport fund budgeted revenue at about $1.9 million, but collected only $455,000, which was due to an FAA grant of $1.142 million that the city has not yet received, Deleon said.
On a positive note, the sanitation fund booked $155,000 in additional revenue, primarily through annexation, he said.
The acquisition of the Crystal Lake Utility System was a "major accomplishment" of 2012, which added about 520 utility customers, Deleon said. The city's utility crews constructed more than 18,000 feet of water and sewer lines in the effort to expand service to unincorporated areas.
The city has gone from a high of about 103 full-time employees four or five years ago to 56 employees, he said. The city has left some positions unfilled after retirements.
All of these initiatives have led to a 39 percent property tax reduction that was passed on in 2013 based on the changes and programs implemented in 2012, Deleon said.
mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5826