Council approves Delta’s city budget for 2021

At its Nov. 17 regular meeting, the Delta City Council approved the budget for 2021, along with the ordinance setting the appropriations.

As an overview, the appropriations for 2021 are set as follows:

General Fund: $5,686,669

Conservation Trust: $253,100

Parks & Recreation: $3,414,671

City Wide Capital Improvement (C.W.C.I.): $2,833,478

Municipal Light and Power (M.L.&P.): $7,439,142

Sewer: $2,164,675

Water: $3,043,721

Refuse: $872,496

Golf: $1,067,010

Perpetual Care: $1,000

Internal Service: $1,444,679

Employee’s Dental: $11,741

Debt Service $1,229,050

The 2021 budget itself goes into extensive detail on the breakdown of each fund and its relations to the community comprehensive plan.

Vehicle and Equipment Budget

For next year, the budget plan includes $130,000 for the purchase of an MLandP bucket truck and $43,500 for a pickup truck for the Delta Public Works Department. This totals to $173,500 for next year. The plan includes necessities for 2022 and 2023 as well, both of which have higher expenses for more vehicles. All of these are regular vehicle replacements to take the place of aging vehicles used by city staff.

2021 has $603,900 budgeted for equipment needs. $55,000 of that is planned for a chipper, $115,000 is planned for 25 golf carts, $80,000 is planned for road crack seal, $125,000 is planned for the purchase of a backhoe, $29,400 is planned for a trac mower, $15,000 is planned for a rec center scissor lift and $11,000 is planned for a golf aerator.

Dues and Donations

The 2021 budget includes $5,874 in dues toward the Colorado Municipal League (CML), $600 toward Club 20, $1,500 in dues toward the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce, $7,481 toward Region 10 and $789 for other costs.

For donations, the budget includes $3,000 for Independence Day fireworks, $300 for Grad Night, $100 for BSA flags, $3,000 for the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce (on top of regular dues), $585 for the health fair, $5,500 for the spay and neuter program, $4,457 for the Center for Mental Health, $2,000 for Partners Mentoring Youth and $1,000 for other extra costs.

$18,430 is budgeted toward contributions for next year, while $15,200 is officially slated for One Delta County.

General Fund Revenue and Expenses

From all the taxes the City of Delta has, including taxes on sales, use, cigarettes, cable TV, natural gas, equivalents and occupation, 2021 is budgeted to see approximately $2,935,624. From licenses and permits, $85,400 is expected. From intergovernmental revenues (including grants, vehicle registration, etc.), $515,142.

Charges for city service are expected to bring in about $43,500 and court fines and forfeitures are expected to bring about $25,000.

With other intergovernmental fund transfers, income from investments and other miscellaneous revenues, the City of Delta is budgeting a total of $5,298,636 to the 2021 general fund. Against a much higher number of city expenditures, that revenue is pitted against an estimated $5,686,669 of expenditures total for the general fund.

Conservation Trust Fund Revenue and Expenses

The conservation trust fund has a budgeted $92,170 in revenue projected from interest on investments and lottery proceeds.

Considering parks development and improvement at Cottonwood Park, Confluence Park, Cleland Park and Mountain View Park, expenditures are projected to amount to $253,100.

Parks and Recreation Fund Revenue and Expenses

The City of Delta has a projected 2021 revenue of $3,288,557 for parks and recreation, against $3,414,671 in expenditures.

City Wide Capital Improvements Fund Revenue and Expenses

CWCI revenue comes from sales and use tax, Delta County sales tax, interest on investments, grants, contributions for construction and sales of assets.

The revenue generated for the CWCI fund is estimated at $3,069,387 for 2021.

Expenditures are most notably caused by road and sidewalk projects, as well as repairs, maintenance and additions of public facilities and infrastructure.

Expenditures for the CWCI fund in 2021 is projected to be $2,833,478.

Municipal Light and Power Fund Revenue and Expenses

2021 revenue for ML and P is projected to be $6,802,600, against $7,439,142 in expenses, including a $580,000 transfer to other funds.

Water and Sewer Revenue and Expenses

The separate sewer and water funds are projected to make $3,516,370 in combined revenues and to have $9,604,817 in expenditures.

Refuse Fund Revenue and Expenses

Refuse revenue for 2021 is projected at $748,242 and expenditures are projected at $872,496, including $100,000 in transfers to other funds.

Golf Course Fund Revenue and Expenses

Revenue for the golf course fund is projected to amount to $1,002,250, while expenditures are expected to amount to $1,067,010.

Conclusion

The previously mentioned funds and other smaller funds are outlined in the final draft budget, which was ultimately approved as the final budget for the year 2021. It includes line items for every purchase that is planned at this time.

The budget in its entirety can be found under “more details” of the Nov. 17 city council meeting on cityofdelta.com. A link to the budget is attached to the online version of this article as well.