The Board of Directors for the Pearl River County Utility Authority approved a budget for the next fiscal year.
According to the budget, the anticipated revenue for the next fiscal year is a bit more than $4.2 million, of which $233,00 will come from the sale of water, $3.8 million from fees collected for sewer service and $208,000 from fees and other revenue.
Expenses for the coming year include $2.4 million in direct costs, which include $672,050 for wages and benefits, $468,800 in electricity expenses, $956,900 for repairs and maintenance and $301,450 for chemicals, testing and disposal fees. Other expenses include $969,950 in overhead, such as accounting, fuel, engineering, insurance, legal and consulting fees, rent, and tools and supplies.
The Utility Authority’s administration also expects to spend $621,754 to retire debt, $290,500 in capital projects.
The Utility Authority will start the fiscal year with $3.17 million in cash on hand, and will end the fiscal year with $3.15 million.
In other business the Board approved the appointment of its officers. In the coming year, Tabatha Butler will serve as president, Marcia Johnson will serve as vice president and Quinn Houchin will serve as the treasurer.
Executive Director Cliff Diamond said that previous plans to build a new office in the spring for the administration and billing was put on hold due to the ongoing pandemic. The new plan is to build that facility next spring.
Diamond said the Board also approved a motion to pay the last bill to the city of Picayune so the work to relocate utility lines in phase one of the widening of Highway 11 could be settled. While the Utility Authority agreed to allow the city of Picayune to manage the relocation of all three utility lines in the first phase of the project, Diamond said that process will be managed internally for phase two.