Page 53 - Watauga FY21 Budget

BUDGET OVERVIEW

Charges for services – These charges include recreation fees, fees paid by
developers as reimbursements for City services, charges for emergency medical
service (EMS), and various other service charges. Service Charges account for
about 5% of General Fund revenues. Projections are based on historical use of
City services as well as rates charged by the City on such services. EMS
services have been outsourced to Intermedix, which handles all billing and initial
collections.

Fines and Forfeitures - Include fines levied by the Municipal Judge for
misdemeanor offenses occurring with the City and those collected on citations
issued for code enforcement. Fines for overdue library books were discontinued
in FY2020-21. Other fees are
also included in this category
for certain items relating to
municipal court and library
operations. In FY2017
through FY2018, citations
decreased significantly as
staffing was a prominent
issue in the Police
Department which resulted in
a lower citation count. In
FY2019, the police
department was near full
staffing and there was an
increase in code, traffic
enforcement, and warrant
collection efforts, thus
increasing citations issued
over prior year. Fiscal year
2021 is expected to remain flat with FY2020, although some delay in the
processing of cases is expected with the continued limitations on in-person court
proceedings due to the pandemic. Fines and forfeitures makes up
approximately 4% of General Fund revenues for fiscal year 2021.

Miscellaneous revenue – This includes interest earned on the investment of
General Fund cash, proceeds from the sale of surplus City property, cell phone
tower rent revenues and other various revenues. Interest earnings are expected
to be significantly lower in FY2020-21 due to the Federal Reserve holding
interest rates near zero.

Transfers In - Moneys transferred from another fund for general and
administrative fees or obligations.

45