(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
MAKING IT FINAL … The Delta Village Council meets in a special meeting to pass its 2025 final budget Monday evening.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Delta Village Council passed its 2025 final budget with only one change during a special meeting Monday evening.
An appropriation of $18,000 for the purchase of a new mower was removed from the budget after recommended by council member Robert Shirer based on solid support for its removal from the remainder of council both at the special meeting and during a finance committee hearing last Wednesday.
During the committee meeting, council member Lynn Frank pointed out the village already owned seven mowers with a total value of $154,802.
The purchase was intended to replace an existing mower. Shirer pointed out the village’s budget deficit of $115,339.02, and said if the mower slated for replacement broke entirely, he was happy to support the expense to replace it, but until and unless that happens preferred the expense to be deferred.
During discussion of the budget, Water Superintendent Jammie Flores – who is also filling in on an as-needed basis as operator of record for the wastewater treatment plant with her water employees serving double duty running that plant – explained her current philosophy regarding expenses.
“I intend on operating under being reactive – because that is what our budget allows – versus being proactive,” Flores said.
“I did go through the budget when I presented the combination of departments and I brought it back down in the black, meaning running in the green, to where all of the accounts had enough money that I was comfortable with operating reactively, because if it is an emergency then we can come to you and ask for money from the general fund at that time to be appropriated to the other account.”
At a recent village services committee meeting, Shirer presented a tentative proposal to permanently combine the water and wastewater departments with employees officially serving both roles under a new job description and a coinciding 7 percent bump in pay, largely due to the greater savings that the restructuring would provide the village.
After approving an amendment to remove the mower expense, the council voted unanimously to pass the budget on an emergency basis.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.