Tentative budget balances using leftover money from police, library

MARENGO — A tentative budget presented by Financial Manager Ellen O’Rourke to the Marengo City County during its final meeting of January reduces the library and police operating budgets by $18,000.

“We are balanced in this general fund budget,” said O’Rourke after presenting tentative numbers. Property tax revenues are level, said O’Rourke, but donations for the city’s new pool brought in additional revenue.

In November, O’Rourke told the city council it needed to find about $10,000 to balance the 2025 budget. The council had approved a franchise fee to pay for an activities director to oversee city recreational activities but had to table that hire to pay for a fourth police officer.

The pool budget increased because the city will operate a pool this year, which it hasn’t done recently. “We’re guessing on how much it’s going to cost to run a pool,” O’Rourke said.

The proposed 2025 fiscal year budget provides $98,600 for operation of the new pool. Currently under construction, the pool is expected to open in the spring of 2025.

The police department and the library have had surpluses in their operating budgets — because of responsible spending, said O’Rourke. The departments don’t need to have money they won’t spend, O’Rourke said, so she budgeted a 6% increase in actual operating expenses and decreased the operating budget for police by $9,700 and for the library by $9,200.

That money was moved elsewhere in the budget to cover deficits.

“I know we are going to get more in interest,” said O’Rourke, but if the price of fuel goes up, her estimates for police and fire expenditures will be low.

Still, O’Rourke said she is confident that the city will be OK for a at least 18 months.

Like all cities in Iowa, Marengo is dealing with a decreased rollback set by the State. The rollback decreased the amount of tax property owners will pay from 54% to 46% of the assessed property value.

Though O’Rourke has made the budget balance for the next fiscal year, Council Travis Schlabach isn’t optimistic about the future. The FY2025 budget includes 4% pay increases, but contracts are in their last year and will have to be renegotiated.

“We’ve got to prepare ourselves for next year,” said Schlabach.