SALEM — City Auditor Sal Salvino provided city council with a review of the city’s revenues in its meeting Tuesday.

The city’s revenues increased in 2024, generating $7,006,215.31 in revenue, and an increase of $426,656.81 from the $6,579,558.50 the city generated in 2023. Income tax collections also increased in 2024 generating $7,591,220.75, an increase of $432,748.81 or 6.05% from the $7,158,471.94 in income tax revenue collected in 2023.

Those totals include the additional .25% street and sidewalk levy first approved by voters in 2015, and renewed in 2019 which collected $,1518,244.15 in 2024, an increase of $86,523.07 from the $1,431.721.08 it collected in 2023. Salvino said that since its inception the .25% levy has collected $11,629,268. City Law Director Brooke Zellers asked Salvino if he felt that the city would be able to maintain its road maintenance program if the levy was not renewed in May and Salvino said that where the levy not to be renewed the city would likely have to restrict road maintenance to patching due to budgeting constraints.

The city’s annual expenses have also risen for a total of $7,097,344.63, an increase of $885,620.29 from 2023’s total of $6,211,724.34. Salvino said that the increased expenses were primarily the result of reimbursement grants the city received in 2024, which require the city to pay the costs of the grant project up front before being reimbursed for the expense by the granter. With expenses exceeding revenues in 2024, the city has eaten into its carryover budget entering 2025 with a carryover of $1,378,161.27, a decrease of $91,129.32 from the $1,469,290.59 carryover from 2023 into 2024.

Other financial matters included first readings for a resolution accepting a $20,000 donation from the Columbiana County Commissioners to defray the cost of contributing an officer the Columbiana County Drug Enforcement Task Force, and an ordinance authorizing Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello to advertise for bids and enter contracts for the purchase of gasoline and diesel fuel for the city for up to a one-year period

City Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Feb. 4.