JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council will meet Monday to continue discussing its 2016 budget.
While the city council has not discussed any changes to the budget during its public meetings, the Jamestown Post-Journal is reporting that the council has in fact unanimously requested an additional $232,000 more in revenues from the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.
Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi was already asking for $250,000 in dividend payments from the BPU in 2016. The additional amount agreed to by the city council brings the new total to $482,000… about the same amount budgeted for the current year.
The issue of dividend payments to the city has been a divisive one for the Board of Public Utilities. Some member feel that by sharing BPU profits with the city, the BPU is limiting its ability to use that money for future BPU expenses and will likely drive up utility rates.
Teresi has said because the BPU is owned by the city, the city has a right to use any profits from the BPU to help balance its own budget, so long as the BPU approves the appropriation.
The issue of BPU dividend sharing will likely be taken up when the council meets Monday in City hall at 7 p.m. The BPU will also continue discussing its 2016 utility budgets during its meeting Monday at 4 p.m.
Both meetings are open to the public.
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