The City of Carson City’s fiscal year 2025 budget was amended by $210.8M due to its Board of Supervisors unanimously adopting a resolution last week.
Chief Financial Officer Sheri Russell-Benabou claimed the newly amended budget will allow the City to avoid cuts. The large number of projects budgeted in FY 2024 led to projects and funds being rolled over to FY 2025. Carson City’s fiscal year lasts from July 1 to June 30. Russell-Benabou stated a large portion of the amended funds was dedicated to multi-year projects.
Many of its FY 2024 projects have funding waiting to be spent, such as the Quill Treatment Plant, the William Street Project and the Fire Station 55 and Emergency Operations Center. The fire station project is almost complete, but the unspent funding has yet to roll over for FY 2025. Some of the amended funds consist of additional revenue and savings.
More than 30 City funds were altered, such as its water and wastewater funds. The general fund was augmented by $11.9M. The general fund in Carson typically focuses on public safety and general government services.
The general fund augmentation includes:
- $1M toward the City’s contingency fund;
- $1.2M for landfill capital needs;
- $1.6M restricted by state law;
- $2.5M toward employee raises, and
- $5.3M for the capital projects fund.
The capital projects fund can be used to address facility needs and deferred maintenance, which have a combined estimation of $45M.
Consolidated taxes in FY 2025 have been lower than anticipated, which makes the FY 2026 budget uncertain. This particularly brings uncertainty to the capital projects fund, which is why the supervisors supported the additional $5.3M.
The City is analyzing which future projects it can work on with limited funding. Road projects are an ongoing necessity, but the City also has needs for a juvenile detention facility and courthouse. To fund the juvenile detention facility and courthouse, the City may turn to its capital fund.
Supervisors also had concerns surrounding the Trump administration and funding for issues in the health department and transportation. (Source)
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