City Council approves $3.6 mln 2025 budget

The Olney City Council was set to approve a $3.6 million budget for fiscal 2025 that holds services at current levels, creates a building department, and raises pay rates for all city employees, said City Administrator Simon Dwyer, who will not see his salary increase.

The Council approved the budget on the first reading on Sept. 12, and were expected to finalize it at their Sept. 23 meeting. The 2025 budget is based on a tax rate that is 8 percent lower than in the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. The new tax rate is expected to raise $1.3 million in fiscal 2025.

The new budget also relies on projected sales tax revenue of $490,000, garbage services of $576,905, franchise fees of $160,850, airport fees of $70,711, other sources totaling $224,436, and utility and water income of $986,269 after expenditures, the proposed budget shows.

The 2025 budget includes a $100,000 contingency fund and a $91,702 surplus, Mr. Dwyer said.

The biggest change in expenditures came in the code enforcement line items, which increased from $96,077 to $124,651 to include a new building department employee. The Olney Police Department will include funds to pay reserve officers in fiscal

2024 in hopes of cutting overtime for OPD officers, Mr. Dwyer said. The Parks & Recreation line item increased to

$132,773 from $114,299 to fund the operation of the new City pool.

The Olney Volunteer Fire Department saw its budget drop in its 2025 budget to $49,446 from

$54,946. OVFD Chief Clint Pulliam warned the Council at their Sept.

12 meeting that “some years we can make it [on a smaller budget], some years we go over budget.”