JAMESTOWN – Mother Nature has not been kind to the 2013 budget for the Jamestown Department of Public Works. That from city comptroller Joe Bellitto, who gave the Jamestown City Council an update on the city’s spending through the first quarter of this year.
According to Bellitto, the DPW’s expenses for the first quarter was up 28 percent compared to last year, with the department already using over 40 percent of its overtime budget. In addition, he said that salt expenses were up nearly 85 percent over last year.
Both Bellitto and mayor Sam Teresi pointed to a harsher winter as the reason for the change. During 2012, the city saw snowfall at an all-time low. However, this year Mother Nature was not nearly as kind and it was more of a traditional winter, and that’s been reflected in the DPW’s snow removal spending.
Teresi said that despite the sharp increases, the city did budget appropriately for this year and there should be no cause for alarm.
“These increases could be a lot worse had it not been for the efforts of our management team and the DPW and Parks Department Staff,” Teresi said, adding “and if anything, these numbers help to reinforce the old Chiffon Margarine commercial, ‘it’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature.'”
As for the rest of the first quarter budget, Bellitto said that city revenues appear to be where they normally are for the first quarter, with BPU revenue slightly above the pace. He added that the city’s sales tax revenue is not yet known, but he should get some first quarter numbers in the next couple of weeks when the county releases its sales tax report.
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