Council reviews enterprise funds

The council reviewed four of the city’s enterprise funds during a workshop that preceded its Nov. 10 regular meeting.

For 2010, Liquor Hutch manager Candice Woods is budgeting revenues of almost $5.03 million, or a 3-percent increase over this year. The store is budgeted to transfer $366,030 in profits to the city, and it also will cover $128,048 in debt service on its expansion of a few years ago.

One enterprise fund expected to show a loss is the storm water utility, which collects monthly fees from property owners to pay for such things as street sweeping, storm water retention pond maintence and other storm water projects. The city’s monthly fee is among the lowest in the state.

Hutchinson’s city-owned compost factory, Creekside Soils began making profit transfers to the city this year. The 2009 transfer of $52,500 is budgeted to grow to $55,125 even as revenue is expected to decline $290,000.

Manager Dave Johnson said the economy has caused competition to slash prices in the lower-end product lines. Creekside has had to match those prices.

City Administrator Gary Plotz said Hutchinson’s contract for garbage collection by Waste Management expires in late 2010. While expenses are expected to exceed revenues by about $97,000, depreciation accounts for almost $265,000 of the expenses in the 2010 budget. The budget does not include any garbage collection fee increases for residents.

(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)