Emergencies sometimes require cash expenditures that weren’t budgeted. It happens in the private sector. It happens at city hall.
Such an emergency occurred in Hannibal earlier this year when rainwater runoff in Minnow Creek eroded a portion of the earth that supported the Munger Lane bridge’s asphalt surface, causing it to crack and buckle.
City officials faced different options in regard to the bridge’s replacement. (1) Since the $138,000 project was not budgeted, the busy thoroughfare could have been left closed until the next fiscal year when funds could have been allocated to its repair. (2) Other street projects scheduled this year could have been tabled and the dollars not spent for those could have instead been used to pay for the replacement bridge. (3) City fathers could dip into cash reserves so that the bridge could be repaired sooner than later. Option Three was the one chosen and the bridge was reopened to traffic in early August.
While the $138,000 hit did not come close to draining city reserves, it did put a dent in the city’s bank account. That dent was “pounded out” recently by City Manager Jeff LaGarce, who announced earlier this month that a portion of the $375,000 Main Street bridge settlement would be used to replenish what was spent on the new bridge.
The remaining $237,000 was placed in the city’s General Fund to either cover other budgetary shortfalls that might arise, especially if sales tax revenue projections don’t live up to expectations, or pay for some other emergency.
Obviously there’s never a shortage of places where $375,000 can be spent at city hall. We applaud LaGarce for choosing to first cover the Munger Lane bridge’s cost, rather than immediately look for a place to reinvest the total amount from the settlement.
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Emergencies sometimes require cash expenditures that weren’t budgeted. It happens in the private sector. It happens at city hall.
Such an emergency occurred in Hannibal earlier this year when rainwater runoff in Minnow Creek eroded a portion of the earth that supported the Munger Lane bridge’s asphalt surface, causing it to crack and buckle.
City officials faced different options in regard to the bridge’s replacement. (1) Since the $138,000 project was not budgeted, the busy thoroughfare could have been left closed until the next fiscal year when funds could have been allocated to its repair. (2) Other street projects scheduled this year could have been tabled and the dollars not spent for those could have instead been used to pay for the replacement bridge. (3) City fathers could dip into cash reserves so that the bridge could be repaired sooner than later. Option Three was the one chosen and the bridge was reopened to traffic in early August.
While the $138,000 hit did not come close to draining city reserves, it did put a dent in the city’s bank account. That dent was “pounded out” recently by City Manager Jeff LaGarce, who announced earlier this month that a portion of the $375,000 Main Street bridge settlement would be used to replenish what was spent on the new bridge.
The remaining $237,000 was placed in the city’s General Fund to either cover other budgetary shortfalls that might arise, especially if sales tax revenue projections don’t live up to expectations, or pay for some other emergency.
Obviously there’s never a shortage of places where $375,000 can be spent at city hall. We applaud LaGarce for choosing to first cover the Munger Lane bridge’s cost, rather than immediately look for a place to reinvest the total amount from the settlement.
