Trending
VIENNA -- Vienna City Council continued to hear outside agency budget presentations during a special council meeting held Thursday at the Vienna City Building.
Mayor Randy Rapp said Thursday's meeting was the last to hear budget and funding requests from city departments and outside agencies.
With the information gathered over the last few weeks, work will begin on crafting the city's 2021-2022 balanced budget, which must be completed by March 28, he said.
Representatives from most of the outside agencies requesting funding gave brief presentations to council regarding their programs and services, often highlighting any specific to or serving Vienna.
Only one of the presentations Thursday featured a request for increased funding over the 2020-21 budget. The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department requested an increase from $4,800 to $6,000 in the upcoming budget. The 25 percent increase requested is to help cover the health department's increased costs associated with dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, MOVHD Administrator Eric Walker told council Thursday.
Several of Thursday's presentations included no changes from the previous year's budget, including: Wood County Development Authority, $5,000; Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, $3,000; Kids First Program/Family Crisis Intervention Center, $3,500; Humane Society of Parkersburg, $31,132; Artsbridge, $2,000; Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home, $3,500; Latrobe Street Mission, $2,500; and Wood County Senior Citizens, $4,300.
Four others are set by code or mandate. The Vienna Public Library receives mandated funding based on assessed property values, which was $353,429 for the 2020-21 year. The Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau receives 50 percent of the Hotel/Motel tax. The Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council and the Wood-Washington-Wirt Regional Planning Commission received mandated funding, $4,115 and $4,005, respectively.
Rapp told council two of the agencies, the River City Runners Club and the Mid-Ohio Valley Work Camp, did not request new funding, only that their funding from last year be carried over. The runners club received $1,000 to help put on the annual Vienna Road Race, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The work camp received $3,000 to help with its annual house painting program, which was also canceled last year due to the pandemic.
The next regular Vienna City Council meeting will be 7 p.m. Feb. 25.
Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com