The second half of the city of Warsaw’s departments went before the Common Council Monday night to present their 2021 budgets.
The other half presented their budgets at the council’s Aug. 3 meeting.
Along with human resources presenting one budget Monday, there were three from Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, two from Oakwood Cemetery, one from Warsaw Municipal Airport and eight from the building and planning department.
Mayor Joe Thallemer noted that for 2021 there are 26 pay periods instead of 27; all departments were told to budget for 1% pay raises; and to budget for a 15% increase in health insurance, but that is expected to come down significantly. The budgets are proposed at this time and the council did not take any action on them Monday.
Human Resource Director Jennifer Whitaker presented a budget of $260,295 for 2021, down $1,668 from 2020’s $261,963.
She told the council she will present the wage committee’s recommendations for salaries and wages at one of the council’s September meetings.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Mike Wilson presented the same three budgets he presented at the WWFT meeting Aug. 4.
The fire territory operating fund includes the hiring of up to three new firefighters, one in each shift. However, the fund is down 3.49% from $4,647,005 in 2020 to $4,448,014 proposed for 2021.
The firefighters pension fund also was moved from the operating fund to the pension fund for 2021, just like the policemen’s pension fund was moved from the police operating fund to the pension fund. The 2021 fire pension fund is proposed at $713,183.
The fire territory equipment replacement fund is proposed at $1,142,600 for 2021, a 0.01% decrease from 2020’s $1,142,742.
Cemetery sexton Hal Heagy presented his 2021 proposed cemetery fund at $761,985, a decrease of $876 from 2020’s $762,861.
The cemetery permanent fund comes from half of the lot sales people purchase to bury their loved ones in. The money is invested to keep the fund going.
“The whole reason for that was to keep that cemetery as beautiful as we try to keep it now when it gets landlocked. It will not be landlocked for quite a while,” Heagy said.
The cemetery five years ago purchased 3.5 acres and another 14 acres were donated a few years ago. “So there’s still plenty of room, which will continue that amount of money to grow,” Heagy said, adding that the money is used for roads and buildings. “So, basically, it’s not a taxable fund. It’s part of the sales of the lot.”
Airport Manager Nick King presented the council with the same budget the Board of Aviation Commissioners approved last week. The 2021 proposed budget is $1,020,972, a 2.12% decrease from 2020’s $1,043,122.
The final budgets were presented by City Planner Jeremy Skinner for the building and planning department.
The building and planning budget for 2021 was proposed at $813,410, a 2% increase over 2020’s $798,995.
The other budgets he gave, previously presented to and approved by the Redevelopment Commission, were: Warsaw Tech Park, $717,000; redevelopment general, $231,925; Northern Residential TIF, a new budget, $20,000; Southern Residential TIF, a new budget, $20,000; redevelopment allocation, $392,950; redevelopment Northern TIF, which was combined with the Eastern TIF, $2,820,671; and Winona Interurban TIF, $50,000.
In the redevelopment Northern TIF, Skinner said $1 million was earmarked for Silveus Crossing intersection improvement.
