Seneca approves New Budgets

A new fiscal year budget received unanimous approval on second reading by the Seneca City Council at their meeting Thursday night.  Seneca Clerk/Treasurer Joel Seavey gives details.  “It entails a city budget of $10,140,164.  That budget included a three-mill tax increase and some garbage increases for residential roll cart collection, commercial roll carts and then the dumpsters.  The Light and Water Budget was $28,203,000.  It has three increases on the utilities; it had the electrical rate increase of 6.5%, 50-cents per 1,000 gallons of water on water and sewer, then also the wholesale customers are increased 10-cents per 1,000 gallons of water.  Besides those two major funds, the transit fund was also approved and that has many federal grants in it for the electric buses that we are receiving this year.  The total budget for transit was $6,293,000 and then we have our hospitality and accommodations tax fund for $460,000 where the revenue comes in from the restaurants and we use that money to put on our events.  We also passed the Seneca Facilities Court Budget, which is our industrial facility on Shiloh Road and that budget was $1,092,000 for the lease income that we have and the activity that goes on out there.” Several capital improvement projects are included in the 2013-14 fiscal year budget.  Projects are planned at Seneca’s electric substation behind city hall, the Shaver Recreation Complex as well as the former JN Kellet School building.