June 2021 | Vol. 31 Iss. 06
FREE
CITY COFFERS UP, PROJECTS SLATED By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
M
ayor Blair Camp presented his budget address at the April 20 city council meeting, announcing improved revenues for Murray City’s general fund. Murray’s current fiscal year is forecasted to end $12 million in the black due to higher-than-expected sales tax and COVID-19 stimulus funds. Comparatively, the budget year ends on a far more positive note than when it began amid the pandemic. The city lost significant revenue due to decreased sales tax, and city departments instituted severe budget constraints, including freezing several large projects, like the Murray Theater renovation. In FY2021, the city received $2,913,244 from the Federal CARES ACT to reimburse qualified expenses of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, CARES ACT funding offsets a $2.7 million use of fund balance that would have been required in FY2022 to balance the proposed budget. Without CARES ACT funding, the city would have been obligated to consider a 3%6% property tax increase or a reduction in services. “There is no property tax increase proposed in this budget,” Camp said. According to Camp, one of the challenges facing Murray City is that over 30% of its properties are owned by governments or nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt. By law, Murray’s budget must balance. If there is a deficit due to lost revenue, the city transfers a dividend from its Enterprise Funds to the General Fund. If the city did not do this, property taxes would have to increase, or services would have to be reduced. The most significant contributor to the Enterprise Fund is Murray Power. “Property owners in Murray should note that only 18%20% of their annual tax assessment, depending on which school Continued page 8
Among Murray City’s budget requests is a $742,000 fire engine replacement. (Photo courtesy of Murray City)
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