This is the time each year when local government makes the best educated guess about revenue and expenses for the coming year.
In the case of the City of Delaware, that means consideration of the largest budget in the city’s history.
In the proposed budget submitted by City Manager Tom Homan, he shared, “As the chart below illustrates, the 2020 General Fund budget includes revenue estimates of $25,821,690, an increase of 7.1 percent over 2019. Expenditures are projected to increase 7.7 percent over 2019 budgeted operations and the fund balance is estimated to be at $5,926,353 or 23.0 percent of expenditures. This meets the City’s financial policy of maintaining a targeted fund balance of 17 percent.”
Among initiatives included in Homan’s proposed budget are increases in employment in various service sectors as well as job reclassifications,
The budget also makes estimates of current population growth based on the issuance of building permits. By that measure, Delaware has between 42,000 and 44,000 inhabitants, representing a 24 percent increase since the last official census and some 8,000 new inhabitants. According to Homan, the city has doubled in size in the last 30 years.
Under consideration, the scheduled final reading for the 2020 budget will take place at the December 19 Council meeting. The entire budget can be read at this location online.
