The Blytheville Finance Committee met Monday to look at year-to-date revenue and expenditures as council members prepare to start working on the 2013 budget.
One of the biggest adjustments the committee discussed was the amount of funds allocated to city legal fees. The city has currently spent $50,693.61 on legal fees, a significant and unexpected jump from the $500 budgeted according to committee head Monte Hodges.
"This really isn't something we could've foreseen happening," Hodges said. "We had discussed raising legal fee allocations in the past, but in the end when we were making some cuts this was one of them. We definitely have to make changes to that for next year."
Along with legal fees, the city's workers compensation fees have gone up in several departments, including city parks/pools which is at 400.1 percent of its allocated compensation budget; Code Enforcement, at 250 percent of its compensation funds; Municipal Court, which has used 479.4 percent of its allocated funds; and several other departments that have reached or surpassed budgeted workers comp funding.
Hodges also said with gas prices steadily rising, the committee will have to look into raising gas and oil allocations for almost every department.
"I just don't see any way around it. As long as these gas prices continue to climb up there, they've got to have more," said Hodges.
Committee member Shirley Overman asked if there was anything that could be done to try to save fuel, to which Hodges responded, "They're doing it already."
The committee also voted to allocate funds for the Delta Gateway Museum and the Thunder Bayou Golf course. The museum will have $10,000 set aside to purchase new design plans for the display space, and $25,000 to the golf course for new equipment. That funding comes from the city's dedicated parks and recreation tax.
cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com