The common council earlier this week unanimously okayed six fund transfer measures requested by the mayor, totaling $50,800, as the city prepares to close out the current fiscal year that ends June 30.
Such transfers are the normal course of business at this time of the municipal government year as the administration moves to replenish city accounts that are near depletion with unused funds remaining in accounts that are financially more healthy.
The largest transfer involved the city’s law department.
A total of $15,000 in unexpended money in City Solicitor Colleen Mejia’s salary account was transferred to the “claims and judgments” account for a claim that was settled during the current fiscal year.
In another action, the Councillors earmarked an extra $11,000 for the library’s salary account – $8,405 coming from the mayor’s reserve account and $2,595 from the purchasing department’s salary account.
This transfer is needed to cover the costs of an increase in the ELSA union contract, as well as funding for part-time workers who filled in for full-time personnel out on sick leave.
Another $10,000 in unused purchasing department salary monies was transferred to the “emergency maintenance” account in the inspectional services department.
The administration said ISD under-estimated both the number of permits and the cost of work for FY12 with regard to GEOTMS user fees.
Two transfers within the IT department – each for $5,000 – were okayed.
The funds come from unexpended IT salaries. Half will be spent to cover the cost of work performed during a network security audit, and the other half will go towards purchasing an IT disc array for city hall servers.
The final fund transfer – for $4,800 – will allow the purchasing department to buy a copier for the engineering department and adding it to the city’s maintenance contract.
The funds for this proposed acquisition will come from funds left over in the purchasing department’s salary account.
Approval of the board of aldermen is needed to finalize these fund transfers.