Bowling Green income tax collections are soaring, already surpassing the entire 2022 estimate.
At last week’s Bowling Green Council committee meeting, Finance Director Dana Pinkert delivered her third-quarter financial update to the committee.
She said that year-to-date income tax collections have already surpassed 2021 year-to-date numbers and are meeting estimates. So far, income tax collections through September have totaled over $18.3 million, over the 2022 estimate of $17.28 million.
“I suspect that we will surpass our estimates, so we’ll have those dollars for carryover into the new budget,” Pinkert said.
She also noted that she expects inflationary increases to the 2023 budget, “so hopefully they cancel each other out.”
However, as with Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter’s report, Pinkert said she has concerns with the Capital Improvement fund, which currently totals $557,588, and the Street Repair fund, which totals $591,845.
“We’ll need to find a way to fund those infrastructure projects and bring more money into those funds,” she said later in the meeting.
Speaking on the 2022 budget as a whole, Pinkert said “I think we’ll end (the year) intact, very close to our current year-to-date budget. Our cash balances will still be comfortable and that’s because of our higher-than-expected income tax collections.”
For 2023, Pinkert said she has been hearing that inflation is letting up slightly, and some supply chains are opening up – but she doesn’t expect it to return to 2020 or 2021 levels.
“We’ll see that in the budget,” she said. “The same for the inflationary impact on our current capital projects and things we’re looking toward the future for.”
Also at the meeting, council:
• Introduced, gave three reading to, and passed an ordinance authorizing Director of Public Services Joe Fawcett to advertise for bids and enter into contracts for the construction of downtown public restrooms, to be located at the former Huntington Mini-Bank, 119 S. Church St. During their Oct. 3 meeting, council authorized the appropriation of $75,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding – which it had already approved last month – for the project. According to the legislative package document prepared for council, “the bidding and contracting of projects typically takes one to two months. It is our goal to have these restrooms operational by the spring of next year.”
• Introduced an ordinance authorizing Utilities Director Brian O’Connell to advertise for bids and enter into contracts for repairs to the Carter Park water tower and the Western water tower.
According to the legislative package document, earlier this year a firm was hired to assist with planning for repairs to the towers. The cost estimates are $1.1 million for the Carter Park tower and $1.725 million for the Western water tower.
“The biggest difference is the Western Tower needs more work on the wet interior painting than Carter Tower does,” the document stated. “The current plan is to bid the work on both towers to be completed in 2023 with an alternate price to perform the work on Carter Tower in 2024. … The most notable change to the towers will be the painting of the exterior surface. The recommendation is to use a similar color and lettering as the Newton (Road) Water Tower and to talk with BGSU about including their logo on these water towers.”
• Introduced an ordinance to create section 35.38 of the codified ordinances, creating the Residential Renewable Resource Installation Account, and the RRR Generation Account to provide annual incentive payments for certain renewable energy generation.
Among its provisions, the legislation states that if a one resident per household has paid for “the installation of a customer-owned Bowling Green residential renewable electric generation facility,” has a Bowling Green Municipal Utility-approved interconnection agreement, and the installed facility “has successfully produced electricity which has been delivered to the Utility,” then they will be eligible for a one-time renewable installation payment of $1,000. They will also be eligible for an annual renewable energy incentive payment, the amount of which is variable based on assorted factors.
• Welcomed Adrien Lorien-Kirian as the new city arborist.
• Heard Public Works Director Mick Murray say that the city had a successful 2022 paving program, funded by ARPA funds. Seven miles of roads, primarily in wards 1 and 2 were paved, he said, as well as Mitchell Road between Sand Ridge and West Poe roads.
• Voted to appropriate $25,000 in ARPA funds for conceptual design assistance and study for a shared-use path from Crim Elementary School to Carter Park, as approved by council on Sept. 15.
• Introduced an ordinance authorizing Utilities Director Brian O’Connell to enter into an agreement with American Municipal Power for the renewal of the Efficiency Smart program.
• Introduced an ordinance authorizing the placement of 328 E. Court St. on the Local Historic Register with Historic Overlay Zoning as suggested by the Historic Preservation Commission. A public hearing on the matter was set for Nov. 21 at 6:45 p.m.
