Silverhill passes budget for 2020-21

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SILVERHILL, Alabama — The Town of Silverhill will be operating with a slight budget deficit for 2020-21 after the Silverhill Town Council passed its budget at the Dec. 21 meeting.

The 2020-21 budget includes total revenues of $2,330,447 and expenses of $2,353,300 for a projected deficit of $22,853 for 2020-21. Actual total revenues for 2019-20 came in at $2,678,068.72 with expenses of $2,529,840.82, a $148,227.90.

“We have reserves, so it’s not as if we’re operating in the red,” said Mayor Jared Lyles.

Among expenses projected for 2020-21, Lyles said, will be raises for the town’s current employees.

“We’re looking at providing raises of 5 to 10 percent across the board for our employees,” he said. “We don’t know exactly when and how that will happen, but we went ahead and projected that into our budget.”

Another big expense for 2020-21 will be the town’s portion of expenses in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally. The town is projected to pay $75,000 for its 12.5 percent share of the expenses, with rest being refunded by FEMA and the state.

Other expenses budgeted into the 2020-21 budget include funds for monthly events planned for the town and money budgeted for beautification grants for town businesses. Silverhill will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2021.

The largest revenue for the town is tax revenue, along with municipal court revenues, utility fund revenues, fire department revenues, Building Department, General Fund, Police Department, Heritage Day, State Gas Revenue, Library, Community Center, Parks and Recreation and Little Hall revenues.

Expenses include those in the general fund, utilities, police department, fire department, municipal court, sanitation and street, building department, library, mayor and council, parks and recreation, Heritage Day, Community Center, State Gas Tax and Little Hall.

In other business Monday, the council voted to waive permit fees for a new Baldwin County Highway Department office which is being planned for construction on Alabama 104.

The council also approved the purchase of three laptop computers for town employees to use in the event they have to work remotely. The purchase will be reimbursed by Cares Act funds.