Gonzales City Council hears budgetary shortfalls

GONZALES – City Finance Officer Laura Zella, last week, reported increases and decreases in various department funds for Gonzales City Council as the end of the fiscal year draws near.

According to Zella, the City Manager Department is over budget, because of payout to the prior city manager's severance, hiring an interim city manager, hiring a new city manager at a higher rate and hiring a superintendent of public works.

Zella said the Code Enforcement Department had some overages because the department needed a new computer and related programs.

The city's Information Technology department is over budget as well.

"The previous management didn't budget accordingly, I would say," Zella said. "They budgeted $42,000."

According to Zella the amount the city has spent on IT this fiscal year exceeds $104,000 — over $60,000 more than the budgeted amount.

Engineering budgets are overspent, because of an increased number of engineering meetings.

Non-departmental overages were noted for unbudgeted and unexpected legal fees.

Zella went on to present a list of things the city would do without, because of budgetary overages and lack of revenue, including the Gonzales Fire Department being unable to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) and Gonzales Police Department being unable to purchase two new patrol vehicles. Other non-purchases include new software for Robert M. Dreyer Memorial Airport, meant to help guide AirLife pilots; a pneumatic roller and tandem dump truck, for the Street Department; new pumps for the Water/Sewer Department.

Another financial disclosure revealed four of the hotels in Gonzales are behind on paying their Hotel/Motel taxes, to the tune of $62,000.

The 2016-2017 fiscal budget expires on Sept. 30.