The city of Wilmore is on the fast track to correcting an annexation oversight that goes back to 1982 after approving several more properties to record in Frankfort at Monday’s night meeting.
There are roughly 25 properties that were approved for annexation by the city over the past 30 years but are not recorded on the state map that determines census numbers, roads revenue and insurance payments.
Engineer John Horne presented 10 more properties to the Wilmore City Council that had been approved for annexation but not properly recorded on the main map in the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office.
Nearly half the total estimated corrections have been approved by the council.
After an update by Horne, the council quickly approved the properties: Butler, Sims, Parrish, Veal, Sheele, Woodspointe, May Property — Meadows, Prentice, Highway 29 and H.H. Johnson.
At the last city-council meeting, Horne presented five other properties to the council, which it approved.
Horne said the secretary of state has already approved three of those and returned the paperwork back to Wilmore.
As long as the work stays consistent, Horne does not foresee any problems getting all the annexed properties ready by the end of November and to Frankfort by December.
The results of the map being corrected in Frankfort will affect the mid-term census projections and may also benefit Wilmore’s 2013-2014 fiscal-year budget.
Wilmore utilities and public works director Dave Carlstedt projects the correction will generate $8,725.01 for the city.
This is a much-needed revenue increase for the city, which has a current budget that is already looking at a $36,000 deficit in the first quarter. To date, the city has transferred approximately 59 percent of its surplus fund ($475,688) to the general fund.
The council took into serious consideration amending the budget at Monday night’s meeting to reflect a balanced budget.
However, councilman Jeff James felt they should show that deficit as a constant reminder to decrease spending and highlight the possible need to trim more from the budget.
Most of the council agreed that much of the expected revenue in the next quarter is an unknown factor.
That’s because property taxes and the back taxes owed by businesses being recouped by the city’s renewed relationship with Municipal Revenue Solutions, LLC cannot be accurately factored into the budget.
As much as $60,000 may be recouped from back taxes since 2007, financial director Hayley Ellis said.
The council concluded not to amend the budget but wait until it had more numbers from the city’s current revenue streams in Decemeber or possibly January.
