Atlas Twp. – When many local, county and state governments are dealing with decreases in revenue, the township’s revenue has increased.
‘We must be one of a very few where revenue has gone up. We are getting more assessed value for the township,? said Paul Amman, township supervisor.
The 2008-09 township budget will be $133,634 more compared to last year.
The township board OK’d the $1,264,456 budget by a 5-0 vote at the March 24 meeting.
Amman said there are a number of things that have contributed to a thriving budget.
‘It’s not really rocket science,? said Amman. ‘We take in ‘X? amount of money and we make sure not to spend any more than that. We also put some money away for a rainy day. If you spend more than you make, then it’s called deficit spending.?
Planning ahead, Amman said, is also essential to keeping a balanced budget. ‘For instance, if we know we are going to ditch a road, we will get out there ahead of time and pull the trees. If a crew has to wait for the trees to be removed, that’s down time and that costs more money,? said Amman.
Keeping track of the money spent during the year Amman said is also very important.
‘A number of years ago when I became Supervisor, I wanted to be able to look at the budget, and with a glance, know what we had already spent. So I put in a percent column, so at any point and time I can look at any line item and know what percentage we have already spent.?
Despite a prosperous budget, Amman said it would be inappropriate to give elected officials a pay raise this year.
‘Things are tight right now and the people who elected us have to tighten their belts. The general economy is bad and it’s not going to get better anytime soon. It’s not that they don’t deserve it, it’s not appropriate in today’s economy. We need to look for ways to save money.?
However Amman said the township employees will receive a 2.3 percent COLA (cost of living allowance). ‘We need to keep quality employees. They don’t receive any benefits as it is,? he said.
Amman said this year’s budget finished in the black. ‘Last year we also finished in the black,? he said.