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2015-2016 Budget highlights

Aug 06, 2015 10:26AM ● By Bryan Scott

Budget

West Jordan - One of the most important things the City Council does each year is review and approve the annual budget. This process takes several months where projected revenues and expenses are scrutinized, projects are developed to match City goals, and finally the budget is presented at different meetings for council discussion and public comment.  At the June 10 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the budget for fiscal year 2015-16. 

The total budget for the city is about $118 million. The budget includes different funds, in which the money can only be used for certain expenses as defined by state law. The General Fund includes police, fire, streets, administration, the justice court, etc. Utility funds are standalone funds that resemble an independent business, and revenue and expenses must stay in that fund. In some cases, the enterprise fund leases or purchases labor and materials from other departments. This is done by transferring money to that department such as vehicles from the fleet department, billing, payroll, IT, administration staff and even the City Council that makes decisions for these funds. And money that is collected as impact fees for new development can only be used for projects associated with the new growth and for the specific utility or service that it is collected for. 

State law also mandates that the city keep between 5 percent and 25 percent of its General Fund operating expenses in a “rainy day” fund (essentially a savings account). This “fund balance” equates to about a three-month financial cushion that would keep the city running in the event something unexpected happened to its projected revenues, as was the case with the recession.   Each of these “funds” must act independently and cannot rely on the cash in a different fund other than to borrow from it and pay it back with interest.

Budget highlights for fiscal year 2015-16, which began July 1 include:

Central irrigation system for city parks. One centralized controller will allow staff to adjust sprinklers from one location, which saves water and time.

LED street lighting will provide a cost savings over time by using less electricity and lasting longer. It also provides better lighting.

General Fund                               $ 57,471,878

KraftMaid SID Fund 201,617

Capital Support Fund 2,582,314

Road Capital Fund 4,991,522

Parks Capital Fund 2,447,897

Buildings Capital Fund 132,800

CDBG Fund 802,160

Water Fund 22,789,093

Sewer Fund 12,212,514

Solid Waste Fund 4,349,783

Stormwater Fund 2,877,204

Fleet Fund 5,484,354

Information Technologies Fund 330,000

Risk Management Fund 1,250,000

TOTAL               $ 117,923,136