Town begins balancing act

The town of Saratoga is working with moving numbers as it starts off the fiscal year.

The town of Saratoga released its FS 10 document, a document that displays budgetary items, revenue and expenditures reflective of the town’s general fund.

According to the document, the town’s preliminary expenditures outweigh its potential revenue by more than $360,000. However, those figures are always moving until the end of the 2013/2014 fiscal year, said Town Clerk Suzie Cox.

The town’s FS 10 does not necessarily reflect actual revenue and expenditures because it is a working document, Cox said.

“It’s always a working document because we are working on anticipated income and projected expenditures. Nothing is cut in stone. Nothing’s clear because we are not assured …,” Cox said.

The town of Saratoga’s revenue is never cut in stone, so the town operates with higher expenditures reflecting projects just in case it receives the revenue to fund those projects, Town of Saratoga treasurer Joe Elder said.

“The expenditures are basically a wish list for the departments. This is what we think we have to do this year. This is how much we think it is going to cost, but if the funding is not there on the revenue side, we don’t spend it. So, we have to make that balance,” Cox said.

At the end of the fiscal year, the town of Saratoga has a balanced document reflecting all actual revenue and expenditures for auditors. Auditors also look at the next fiscal year’s FS 10.

The town of Saratoga is also looking at changing some aspects of how it does its budgeting.

In July, the town of Saratoga passed an ordinance approving a balanced budget, but those numbers did not reflect the general fund — they reflected nine enterprise funds, the airport fund, water fund, sewer fund, landfill fund, weed and pest fund, 911 fund, medical clinic fund, Bridge Street fund and community center fund. These funds are designed to be self-sustaining and do not necessarily require money from the town’s general fund.

Cox said she never liked the document and the town will look toward a better document that is more reflective of the general fund, as well as the enterprise funds.