By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A deep look into the financial future of the City of Decatur was presented to city council at a recent meeting.
Eric Walsh of BakerTilly, an accounting firm hired by the city, presented a voluminous, double-sided 70-plus page report to council, looking ahead through at least the next five years.
In a 25-minute, rapid-fire delivery, Walsh laid out all manner of financial figures, tax information, legislative maneuvers and much more.
The document is officially labeled the “City-wide Fiscal Sustainability Plan.”
BakerTilly, a worldwide company, has “hundreds of clients we do these for,” Walsh noted.
Walsh, Mayor Dan Rickord said, “has been working with us for a little while now. We have some projects we want to get done.”
The plan, Walsh pointed out, “will show you (the city) where you have been and where you will go.”
Walsh, who at one point said, “Your utilities are in healthy shape,” projected a 3% growth in the city’s assessed valuation.
Wrapping up, Walsh pointed out, “You’re in good shape. You have been building out cash reserves over the last few years. Your budgets have been in pretty good shape.”
The mayor offered up praise for the city’s department heads who, he said, “have put a lot of work in this.”
“They have been very cooperative with my group, we appreciate that,” Walsh added.
AT STANDSTILL: Earlier this year, Mayor Rickord said at the hiring of BakerTilly, “I think it’s a really good idea to do some financial planning for the future. So I think this can really help us along.”
Rickord said he and Clerk-Treasurer Eran Hackman have been talking about plans for the future and the uncertainty of finances, “and have found ourselves at a standstill.”
Hackman agreed. “We have great ideas moving forward, but we don’t know how to make it happen (financially). This will help us determine priorities, etc.”
The cost of the financial plan – something the city has not had in the past – is $60,000, $40,000 of which is in the current budget. The other $20,000 will come from utilities.
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