By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Swanton Fiscal Officer Holden Benfield announced during Monday’s meeting of the Swanton Village Council a presentation he has developed to explain to the council, staff, and members of the community exactly how the village’s finances work.
Benfield will give the presentation during a meeting later this month, with the audio recorded and attached to a slideshow for future viewing.
“The topics that I’m going to primarily be covering are the very basics, like how the budget flows, breaking it down from the bank to the line items, how the budget’s restrained, what sets our limits, where our largest expenses and revenues come from, debt, the shifts we’re currently making with regard to investments, and potential future avenues for investment,” Benfield said.
It will also include his own expectations and concerns for the next few years as well as time to answer questions.
OTHER FINANCIAL BUSINESS
Benfield reported that he recently became aware of an employee whose insurance policy was erroneously listed as dental only instead of dental and vision, and that his subsequent investigation turned up nine other such errors in employee insurance accounts. The errors are now being corrected.
The council approved a handful of multimillion-dollar appropriations, all of which were related to reporting requirements with no new revenue or expenses included.
Benfield determined that just over $3 million in funding for a screening and headworks project had to pass through village finances, while a little more than $2.5 million in funding for the village’s sewer separation project did not.
The appropriations passed by the council ensure the correct entries are made to support those requirements.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council passed assessments and liens on properties on Cass Street and Carriage Lane, both made final on first reading.
The council authorized Fire Chief Cuyler Kepling to submit an application for the Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grant Program to help cover individual firefighter equipment costs. The authorization was made final on first reading.
The next meeting of the council will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 26.
