Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – City Council unanimously approved the transfer of funds for the Emergency Reserve Account to various city departments to help compensate for expenses incurred already this year due to an unusually harsh winter. Discussion on the matter began nearly a month ago to allow releasing funds from the emergency account to help the departments keep their budgets balanced, so that cuts from other areas would not be necessary. Public Works faced the task of compensating for a nearly $100,000 shortfall in the budget created by increased fuel costs, overtime, sand and salt due to the numerous snowstorms the department responded to this season. To release the funds, all seven members of the City Council had to vote in favor of the measure. All seven were present May 5 and voted unanimously to support of the measure.
Public Works will receive the majority of the funds, with $38,300 going toward wages, $21,150 for gas and oil, $21,475 for salt and $4,125 for calcium. The Northern Maine Regional Airport will receive $12,825 for wages, $19,475 for gas and oil and $5,950 will go for airfield maintenance. Rounding out the recipients, the Industrial Council will receive $20,400 for building maintenance.
“The transfers have met the criteria for unanticipated or extraordinary expenses due to the record snowfall of 2008,” said City Manager Tom Stevens.
Gerry James, director of Public Works, had hoped to get federal assistance to help recoup the added expenses.
“We had applied for FEMA funding due to the record snowfall but we were turned down,” said James.
Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have filed appeals hoping eventually applications for Maine communities like Presque Isle, hit hard by this year’s record snowfall, gain approval. But without knowing if and/or when those funds might become available, departments like James’ are left with the task of balancing already strained budgets. City Council’s decision to release the funds will enable Public Works to stay on track with planned projects, such as paving and road repairs this summer.
Stevens indicated should the FEMA funds come through, they would probably restore the city’s rainy day accounts.
“Assuming the FEMA appeal goes through, we (city officials) would probably just put the funds into a revenue account. It would actually have to play out if and when the funds (from FEMA) come,” said Stevens.
