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- Parkersburg Finance Director Eric Jiles goes over proposed budget revisions during a Finance Committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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- Parkersburg City Council Finance Committee members, from left, Zach Stanley, Sharon Kuhl and Wendy Tuck look over documents outlining a proposed budget revision during a committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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- Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce speaks during a City Council Finance Committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Parkersburg City Council Finance Committee members, from left, Zach Stanley, Sharon Kuhl and Wendy Tuck look over documents outlining a proposed budget revision during a committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
PARKERSBURG — The eventual replacement of the Southwood Park pool, additional funding for the Ohio River Trail and a stormwater retention project are some of the uses proposed by the City of Parkersburg administration for more than $2 million in unencumbered funds.
Parkersburg City Council’s Finance Committee voted 3-0 Thursday, with Councilman J.R. Carpenter and Councilwoman Jesse Cottrille absent, to refer a resolution allocating the carryover from the fiscal year that ended June 30 to the full council. It will be considered at the Oct. 12 council meeting.
The ending fund balance for fiscal year 2020-21 is actually $3,526,731, but $844,184 is already obligated to outstanding purchase orders and a $600,000 carryover was budgeted. That leaves $2,082,547 that has not been appropriated.
The largest single allocation is $673,617 toward eventually replacing and adding features at the Southwood pool. Mayor Tom Joyce said earlier this week he expects the project to cost more than $1 million.
“We’ve got a long way to still go to get to that,” Council President and Finance Committee Chairman Zach Stanley said, noting the money could be carried over into future budgets.
Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce speaks during a City Council Finance Committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Another $175,000 would go to an underground stormwater retention project in the Beechwood area after the bid came in higher than the $200,000 previously allocated. The additional funds will cover the bid and potential overages should other issues come up, Joyce said.
The budget includes $170,000 to replace the north elevator at the Municipal Building. The revision would set aside the same amount for the south elevator.
“This will hopefully enable us to do both elevators,” Finance Director Eric Jiles said.
The West Virginia Division of Highways has committed $624,361 to the 2.5-mile expansion of the Ohio River Trail from the Pond Run outfall north, just shy of Grand Central Mall. That was 95 percent of the original estimate for the project, with the city responsible for about $31,000.
But the project was delayed for multiple reasons and costs have increased since 2017. Joyce is asking council to approve another $160,343 to make up the difference.
Parkersburg Finance Director Eric Jiles goes over proposed budget revisions during a Finance Committee meeting Thursday at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
“DOH is potentially ready to let that contract out (for bid) in a couple months, this winter,” Development Director Ryan Barber said.
Joyce told council members the project includes a bridge over the outfall and the trail itself, not lighting and benches along it or maintenance going forward.
“That space is going to need some additional infrastructure,” he said.
Other big ticket items in the revision are $179,125 to replace Tasers in the Parkersburg Police Department, $135,000 for use-of-force training equipment and $125,000 to bolster funding for a joint sealant project on the floodwall. An additional $257,987 in the user fee fund is slated to be added to next year’s paving project.
The bulk of the fund balance is due to the hefty carryover the city had going into fiscal year 2020-21, thanks to federal reimbursements of COVID expenses from the C.A.R.E.S. Act near the end of fiscal year 2019-20.
Councilwoman Wendy Tuck asked if smaller revisions could not be covered under the existing budget. Jiles said all the funds in the city’s $38.2 million spending plan are allocated, though revisions are made throughout the year.
“In order to fit any of this in there, without using this fund balance piece, you have to take it from somewhere,” he said.
Joyce called the revision process “fairly typical” based on his experience as mayor and on council. He said he thinks it’s better to estimate revenue conservatively than have to dial spending back.
“This exercise tonight is a hell of a lot easier than going to the department heads and saying, ‘stop spending money,’” Joyce said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
