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PERRY TOWNSHIP -- Perry Township continues to see financial growth.
The township will not only be finishing the year with a positive balance but improving upon last year's final balance. Fiscal Officer John Volio Monday said the township ended 2023 with a total fund balance of $1,972,543, an increase of $87,631 over the 2022 final balance.
"I think that's good management for as much as we got taken care of," said Volio.
Volio also said that the township's estimated available cash balance for the year was set to far exceed its expenses at $3,385,559, noting that while he did not have the total amount available, the township's total appropriations were "well under that estimate."
Appropriations for 2023 include: $434,050 in the General Fund; $11,700 in the Motor Vehicle Fund; $162,590 in the Gas Tax Fund; $142,895 in the Road and Bridge Fund; $426,850 for the Police Department Fund; $7,830 in the Zoning Fund; $56,050 in the Fire Department Fund; $75,400 in the Police Special Safety Forces Fund; $35,800 in the Safety Forces Special Revenue Fund; $3,000 in the Lighting Assessment Fund; and $50,960 in the ARP Fund.
Trustee Chairman Steve Bailey pointed out that barring two funds, both of which are used for the salaries of township employees, the township's budget had remained within the fund's revenue maintaining positive fund balances.
"We did really well last year, looking at all our budgets we came in real close to what we budgeted for the year, we were pretty spot on, on those. Virtually out of all of our different funds we have two of them that we'll be in the negative, and one is the police department, and one is the gas tax which is paying the salaries of the road department down $12,000, and down $18,000 from the revenue that we have projected for them. Other than that, every other fund is in a positive so hopefully we'll be able to end the year with a little bit more money than we started," said Bailey.
Trustee Vice Chairman Jim Armeni asked what the township's year-end balance had been prior to the arrival of Bailey and Volio, and Bailey said that the year prior to their arrival in 2019 the final general fund balance was $68,000, and the total fund balance was $448,000.
Armeni and trustee Tony Ieropoli both credited Volio and Bailey's backgrounds in financial management, and overall increased administrative cohesion with the township's improved finances in recent years.
"When Tony was on the road side of the department, and I've been here six years, and Tony would tell me 'the budget doesn't seem right,' and I saw right away in the first 90 days something wasn't right here. I couldn't get any accurate information, then John comes, Steve comes, and Tony's here, and now we've got a plan. It's like you said, we're paying bills, we still have expenses, but the financial management side, from John being with the state auditor and you (Bailey) doing your thing as a financial wealth guy, it's made a difference," said Armeni.
Trustees voted unanimously to approve both the proposed appropriations and the estimated revenues for 2024.
The trustees will meet next at 4 p.m. Jan. 22.