Town of Pahrump has only used 60 percent of budget through three quarters

The town of Pahrump used just over 60 percent of its budgeted funds in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2016, officials said.

The expenditure status report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016 presented to Nye County commissioners by county manager Pam Webster on Tuesday showed that the town spent $2.05 million, or slightly more than 60 percent of the budgeted $3.3 million.

Most of the departments are within 50-to-75 percent range of the spent budget, the report showed. The budget shortfall meanwhile is contributed by salaries and benefits, Webster said.

Officials will do a final budget hearing at the May 17 meeting.

“What you will see when we do the final budget hearing next meeting, a significant reduction in what I’m projecting the current year actuals to be, which will cause the ending fund balance to be higher for the final budget,” she said.

Additionally, Webster said she is looking at revenue and all of the specific accounts in Nye County’s budget.

The revenue page includes two gaping holes, Webster said. One is payment in lieu of taxes, or PILT, that has yet to bring $3 million into the county’s coffers. Another one is net proceeds that are due in May.

The consolidated tax was the “encouraging thing,” Webster said.

According to the report presented by Webster to commissioners, Nye County collected $7.1 million in consolidated tax through January.

“It’s coming in very strong and it is staying very strong, and I would expect that we will see something more like $12 million dollars instead of the $11 (million) budgeted this year for that,” Webster said.

Webster said she is also looking into charges for licenses and permits. So far, the county collected $262,160 out of the budgeted $344,545.

“We have had permits coming in really strong this year for building permits,” she said.

Webster added that there is “strong performance” in fines and forfeitures. The county collected 110 percent, or $493,697 of the budgeted $450,000.

Overall, the county received 68 percent or $22.1 million of the forecast revenue, with 76 percent of the fiscal year elapsed, according to the documents.

“From that aspect, we will be in fairly good shape. We will probably have a $200,000 to 300,000 shortfall,” Webster said.

The general fund expenditures in the county were at 75 percent with 76 percent of the year elapsed, the report said.

“In going through the expenses report, we found some individuals who were budgeted full time in the general fund who split their time between other funds. So we were able to move some of that out and that, coupled with strong revenue, is giving me a pretty good feel for the fact that we will come in right around between $200,000 and $250,000,” she said.

However, she said officials still have to consider contingency and ending fund balance.

“I think we will be in fairly strong shape though to give you a good outcome next meeting for the budget hearing,” Webster said.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77