Hey Brother, Can You Spare $218,000?

Three financial adjustments are saving the town more than $200,000 in time for the fiscal year transition, Mayor Jason McCoy said today.

McCoy first mentioned them in his administrative report at Tuesday's Town Council meeting and released more details this morning.

"These are not simple matters and are not common place in government. They require persistence, long-term planning and careful consideration as to impacts and implications in other areas such as labor relations,'' McCoy said.

One move the town has made it to put non-union employees in a health savings account program, reducing the municipal cost to implement that particular health plan by $90,000. according to McCoy.

A move to a P-Card purchasing program will save another $108,000, and will be more efficient in terms of staff processing time, McCoy said.

McCoy said cleaning contracts were re-bid - and reduced - to the tune of $18,000.

The grand total?

• $218,000.

The Mayor said the extra money can be put toward practical uses.

"If we don’t get a curve ball and revenue comes in as predicted, we can accelerate capital improvements and reduce the next budget or maybe pay some debt off,'' McCoy said.

The news fiscal year begins the first day of July.

The $79,293,749 budget for 2011-12 represents an increase of $572,290 - or .73 percent - over 2010-11's  $78.7 million spending package. Education accounts for $47.4 million, down .2 percent; general government $25.5 million, down .38 percent; and debt service $6.2 million, up 13.96 percent.

The tax rate, as a result, will drop from its current level of 30.02 mills to 29.9 mills in the 2011-12 fiscal year. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.