City officials are planning for a number of expenditures, including over $300,000 to cover the inflated cost of fuel.
On Tuesday, Columbus City Council approved the first readings of two ordinances that each include additional appropriations from various funds. Ordinances require two readings to be fully approved; the council’s next meeting is set for July 19.
The appropriations include multiple allocations for gas and diesel purchases — $274,750 from the city’s general fund for various departments, $41,000 from the Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, and $26,000 from the parks and recreation general fund.
City Director of Finance, Operations and Risk Jamie Brinegar said that the city is “feeling the pain of inflation.”
“From when we budgeted last year, from what (Department of Public Works director) Bryan Burton and (executive public works director and city engineer) Dave (Hayward) were able to negotiate with our fuel supplier, costs have almost doubled,” Brinegar said. “… Many of our departments have been hit significantly.”
For example, the Columbus Police Department needs about $95,000 worth of fuel for the rest of the year; the fire department needs $40,000. Sanitation needs $125,000 in diesel, which costs the city more than $6 per gallon.
Fuel was also one piece of the largest appropriation from Tuesday night — $2,516,040 from the Transit Non-Reverting Fund toward “the operation of the City of Columbus Transit Department.”
As stated in the appropriations ordinance, the city recently learned from the Federal Transit Authority that transit expenditures have to be recorded through an accrual accounting system. This is necessary so that the city can continue receiving federal funds, said Brinegar.
“In order to do that, we already have established a Transit Non-Reverting Fund,” he said. “What we will do is appropriate the operating budget that we had within our general fund into this nonreverting fund so that the clerk-treasurer’s office can work on the accrual accounting that is now being required of us for the transportation dollars.”
The more than $2.5 million appropriation includes the general fund operating budget, as well as funds to cover fuel and one-time cost of living adjustment payments to employees.
The city also plans to appropriate $330,000 from the city’s general fund, $20,000 from the motor vehicle highway fund and $95,000 from the parks and recreation general fund for one-time COLA payments.
Additionally, one of the ordinances includes a $309,702 appropriation from the city’s general fund. Brinegar said this includes $80,000 for Munis upgrades and scanners, $125,000 for security cameras and other equipment, and $104,702 for storm water work.
In regards to the $80,000, he explained that Columbus City Utilities has been on a separate financial system for about six or seven years. The department recently bid for a new system and has decided to use Munis, which is the same platform the rest of the city uses.
“We were looking at an upgrade for 2023 as a part of our Munis system to move to the cloud, which saves us a lot of work for our IT staff,” said Brinegar. “… By doing this and upgrading our system a little earlier than we had intended, we will be able to help utilities to move to this Munis financial system fully January 1. Whereas if we didn’t do the upgrade now, it would be third quarter next year before that would take place.”
The city will cover about $60,000 of the upgrade cost and $20,000 to upgrade the scanners that are at the city’s “paid processing locations” for Munis.
Other expenditures covered in the ordinances include:
- $740,170.50, which was awarded from the state as part of the 2022 Community Crossings Grant Program and must be appropriated before it can be spent.
- $75,000 from the City Hall Facilities Non-Reverting Fund for painting and monitors for the police department, as well as blinds for both CPD and city hall.
