Jasper to Settle 2012 Finances, Faces 2013 Audit

Jasper City Clerk and Chief Financial Officer Tacie Williams said this week that the city is in the process of clearing up a 2012 budget amendment. During Monday night’s city council meeting, Williams explained the urgency of resolving the issue for last year’s audit, as the 2013 audit looms.

“There’s one item,”

she said,

“ and that’s whether or not we’ll be able to capitalize on a large project that the auditors are still trying to walk between—(that) they think is a repair and maintenance (item).”

She went on to say the item affects an unnamed department’s budget by $100,000. Williams, however, did not specify how the $100,000 item would affect the budget or which department’s budget it would affect. FYN has requested details on the issue. The city, however, has yet to respond to our request. Further, Williams said the finance department will be in “lock-down mode” to finalize the numbers for the amendment.

The finance department will also soon meet with department heads to map out a time-line for the year, Williams said. Specifically, the purpose of the time-line will be to determine what purchases to make through out the year and when to make them. According to Williams, the map will be finalized within the next week or so.

Presenting the monthly financial report, Williams reminded council the city is one month into its budget. In this time, she said, the city has only one capital purchase, a new police cruiser. Additionally, Williams recommended the purchase of a 1990 Kodiak Dump Truck. She said the truck will be used in the waste water treatment plant, but more immediately she said the truck will be used in the park project on Hood Road.

According to Mayor John Weaver the city has already started clearing trails and preparing the area for culverts and gravel for 60 acre park project. Weaver said the city will continue to work on the project as weather permits, but added that the process will slow down when it comes time to bid for materials. The materials will be paid for with a $100,000 federal grant.

Used partially for the park project, the truck will cost $16,000, which will be allocated from the water department’s $20,000 budget. Later in the meeting, Williams recommended combining the police car and truck lease into one note, an arrangement handled by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). According to Williams, Jasper had the choice between a five year and three year consolidated note. Both notes had the same interest rate.

“I would prefer we do a three year lease at 3.23 percent interest,”

Williams explained,

“That’s 36 months with a monthly lease payment of $1,364.32…It’s all within our budget.”

Council approved the recommendation unanimously.

Also in her presentation to council, Williams boasted December’s sales tax revenues. “For the first time since 2007,” she said, “we’ve had a six figure sales tax check.” Although the elevated revenue was likely due to the Christmas Season, she called the revenues encouraging because it was approximately $10,000 higher than last year. “That is a little better than 25 percent of the one percent that the county collects,” Weaver said.