Ortonville- The village council approved the 2014-15 budget by a 4-0 vote at their June 23 meeting. Council members Dan Eschmann, Courtney McClerren and Tom Peters were absent.
The budget has $527,105 in revenues, with matching expenditures. The current fund balance is $401,622, or 76 percent.
‘The fund balance is healthy and very good, we’re not hoarding money by any stretch,? said Village Manager John Lyons. ‘We are not budgeting for any major projects, other than seeing what is going to happen with the wastewater treatment system.?
Lyons is currently investigating funding options for a wastewater treatment system for the village after he and the council learned this spring they were not chosen for a grant in the amount of $2 million that they applied for through the Department of Environmental Quality’s Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater Program. The money could have been used for design of a sewer system.
Lyons has said the village will need sewers soon because of failing septic systems. The village regularly tests water from Kearsley Creek and the Oakland County Health Division deemed e-coli levels unsatisfactory just prior to CreekFest, although Tony Drautz of OCHD said the levels were likely high due to run-off from recent rains.
While no major projects have been budgeted for this year, Lyons said the Ball Street Bridge work will be completed and officials would like to do some road maintenance in the village.