BY APRIL EVANS
GEORGETOWN — The city council approved the 2009-10 budget Monday night, which will be balanced.
The final budget numbers are the same as the tentative budget, which was approved in March.
Mayor Darrell Acord said the city doesn’t plan any big changes this coming fiscal year. Rather, they’ll just be holding the line on spending.
The new budget expects the city to bring in $717,382, while spending $677,683. The projected surplus for the next fiscal year is around $40,000.
Comparatively, this past year the city brought in $739,281 and spent $726,376, with a surplus of $12,905 left over.
A new police squad car is included in the new budget to replace the current 2003 Crown Victoria.
In other business, aldermen:
-- Purchased a new backhoe with ditch bucket from Martin Equipment of Tolono for $39,640. The sale price was $77,940, which included a $39,500 trade-in of the city’s current eight-year-old backhoe.
The equipment is mainly used by the water department for digging in the streets.
-- Will allow high school senior Stephanie Hubbard to rent the Georgetown Community Center for free or at a reduced rate. Hubbard will hold a benefit concert for her friend, Natalie Lyons, who has been very ill, is recovering, but will continue to be in the hospital for an extended period.
-- Bought a concrete chop-saw from Big R of Tilton for $1,327.
-- Will allow the Georgetown-Ridge Farm Ministerial Association the use of Patriot Park at noon May 7 for its National Day of Prayer program.
-- Heard that half the water customers in town now have the new remote touch-read water meters installed.
-- Will write-off $482 in uncollectible water-sewer bills this fiscal year. The amount has dropped significantly compared to other years. Only six accounts were uncollectible, due to a lien on a house or a death.
-- Transferred $3,211 from the general fund to the motor fuel tax fund to make up for differences in the amount spent this year. A transfer is normally always done at the end of the fiscal year.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Georgetown City Council will meet at 7 p.m. April 20 at Georgetown City Hall.
