City to appropriate funds to close the year expenses

City Council members plan to utilize the city’s general fund more to close some end of the year expenses for city departments.

The ordinance to approve the appropriation on these funds was read for the first time during Monday’s meeting where At-Large Rep. Chris Knisely told her fellow members that $40,000 will be needed for expenses through the Community Center and the Police Department.

The money is being broken down by what is needed. For the Community Center, $8,500 is needed for custodial supplies and childcare needs, $2,500 is needed for maintenance supplies and $4,000 for gas heating. The Community Center is also in need of new defibrillators and replacement batteries and pads along with a panic button for the building. The estimated cost for the purchase of those items is $15,000. 

Knisely believes the panic defibrillator will be located in the Law Administration building instead of the Community Center.

The Police Department has also asked for $10,000 from the general fund to make a transfer funds.

“The Auditor and the Safety Director have verified that there is an unencumbered balance in the parking enforcement fund, and so what we are doing is a transfer between the parking enforcement fund and the Police Department fund to cover supplies needed towards the end of the year,” Knisely said. 

City Auditory Kathy Hecht explained why the money must come from the general fund specifically. 

“This is all in the general fund but because it’s a different account code going from one department to another, which you know we have about 11 departments in the general fund, that’s why we put it in the ordinance as far as decreasing and increasing no additional appropriation,” Hecht said.

Hecht also explained that the reason for the panic button for the Community Center is being taken from the general fund is that the city has generated a “pot of money” from safety meeting attended by the Human Resources Director in Marietta, Ohio. The Safety Committee is granted money for attending these meetings.

“They (the Safety Committee) spent some money early on but they haven’t been doing much, even though the Safety Committee meets regularly, so that’s why it’s like a rebate that we get back for them attending these meetings. That’s where the money is coming from,” Hecht said.