St. Mary Adopts Budget
By MARK EVANS
mevans@stegenherald.com
No disagreement took place when St. Mary city officials considered a 2022 Fiscal Year budget last Thursday night.
About the only discussion that took place was between two members of the board of aldermen. After the bill had been read (by heading only, as is the custom), Alderwoman Annette Hacker asked Alderman Karl Schultz what he thought of the proposed budget.
“I think it’s reasonable,” he told her.
The budget passed by a 4-0 vote.
It calls for $167,032.80 in estimated expenditures and $167,032.80 in estimated revenue.
Revenue included an estimated $18,000 from sales tax, $25,500 from gross receipts tax, $27,000 from real estate tax, $15,000 from highway tax, $17,000 from county road tax and $23,012.80 from a Chamber of Commerce grant.
The largest expenditure was $67,287.80 for “administrative department.” This included $22,200 for total salary and benefits for city clerk/city manager David Woods, $15,350 for office expenses, $10,025 for insurance, $5,010 for utilities and $5,910 for collector’s office expenses.
The police budget is estimated at $44,190, including total officer wages of $32,565.
Estimated insurance is $2,525 for the department.
The fire department budget is $18,635, with expected receipts of $9,250 ($8,500 from fire tag sales).
The street department estimates receipts of $41,750 ($15,500 from street highway tax, $9,250 from sales tax for transportation and $17,000 from county sales tax), with estimated operating expenses of $20,595 and total street expenses of $30,570.
The park budget is $3,885 and the cemetery budget shows a total budget from the general fund of $2,465, plus $60.50 of expenditures from the “cemetery MM fund.”
OFFICE HOURS BRIEFLY DISCUSSED
The topic of city hall hours briefly came up under “unfinished business.”
Mayor Carlton Wyatt said it was a “consensus” among the board members that city hall will be closed on Mondays. Woods and collector Katrina Ullman will work out details of when each will be there.