Finance and Budget Committee Meeting Summary - December 10, 2025
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Finance and Budget Committee Meeting Summary - December 10, 2025
The Finance and Budget Committee convened on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, to review expenditure lists and budget transfers. The meeting was attended by Commissioners Thatcher, O'Neill, and Walker, along with Commissioner Healy serving as a guest to fulfill a quorum. The committee reviewed a significant expenditure run totaling approximately $2.5 million, primarily driven by three ARPA-funded projects related to Metro plants and a parking lot improvement.
Consent Calendar
- Expenditure List Review: The committee unanimously approved the review of the Finance and Budget expenditure list as of December 10, 2025, for a total amount of $2,519,542.95. This approval covered three specific completed ARPA-funded projects: the effluent management project at a Metro plant, the Metro plant project itself, and the paving and lighting installation at the North/Civic Center rear parking lot.
- Motion: A motion to review the expenditure list was made, seconded, and passed with all members voting 'Aye' (unanimous).
Public Comments & Testimony
- There were no public comments or testimony presented by external members during this meeting.
Discussion Items
- Expenditure Context: Commissioner Healy (sitting in) and Commissioner Walker reviewed the expenditure list. Commissioner Healy made a brief inquiry regarding Claim 4576 for the Civic Center parking lot, confirming it was for the completion of paving and lighting installation funded by ARPA dollars.
- Budget Breakdown: Commissioner Healy noted the total run was considerably higher than recent weeks ($2.5 million), attributing the increase to three ARPA projects totaling roughly $1.5 million (two related to Metro plants and one for the parking lot), with the remaining difference likely accounted for by other items.
- Budget Transfers: The committee reviewed and discussed the following transfers:
- $110.00: Added for the Clerk and Recorder's office for training services for Cindy through Mazbow regarding 2026 school elections.
- $18,095.00: Allocated to the Health Department to cover wages and benefits through the end of the fiscal year.
- $2,000.00: For CDBG publications to be paid to the Montana Standard.
- $21,947.00: For landscaping labor for the Park Street community garden, funded through Library grant funds.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Expenditures: The expenditure list totaling $2,519,542.95 was approved.
- Adjournment: Following the review of transfers, the meeting was adjourned unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, sorry again about that wait. I am going to call Finance and Budget Committee meeting to order for Wednesday, December 10th. Um present are Commissioner Thatcher, Commissioner O'Neill, Commissioner Walker, and Commissioner Healy, who is sitting in today for us to fulfill a quorum. Um we will start with you, Commissioner O'Neill. Do you have any questions on the expenditure list? Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have uh page fifty. Um claim 4576 on the civil center parking lot. Any questions this is we're just paying for it. It's already completed. This is a silly question. I just close enough. Um Commissioner O'Neill, this is um for completion of the I think they call it the north parking lot of the Civic Center. It's the rear uh parking that was closest back to where the the Legion field was. It has been completely paved and um street lights installed for lighting there. That was funded through ARPA dollars. Anything else, Commissioner O'Neill? Commissioner Haley, we throw you to the walls on this stuff, so you probably didn't have time to check it out. Okay. Um, Commissioner Walker, did you have any questions? Okay. I didn't have any questions. Um do you have anything that you want to point out? Um the only thing I might mention is this run is um considerably more than we've seen in the last couple of weeks. It's two point five million dollars, but we do have um three different ARPA projects um that are built in here, uh, two of them being related to the Metro plants. Or one is the plant and one is the effluent management project, and then we have the parking lot at a half a million. So that's you know, roughly one and a half million out of the two and a half million dollar total. Thank you, Director Hassler. Uh I'll entertain a motion, please. At this time, I'd like to make a motion that we review the finance and budget expenditure list as of a Wednesday, December tenth, two thousand twenty-five. The amount of two million five hundred and nineteen thousand five hundred and forty-two dollars and ninety-five cents. A motion's been made and seconded. Is there anything on the question? All those in favor? Aye. Against motion passes. Moving on to the budget transfers. Um, it looks like there was one in the amount of a hundred and ten dollars. Add training services for training. Add training services for training for Cindy through Mazbow for 2026 school elections. That was in the clerk and recorder's office. Uh one in the amount of eighteen thousand ninety-five dollars uh to cover the cost of wages and benefits through the end of fiscal year. That looks like it's at the health department. One is in the amount of two thousand dollars. Have some publications to the Montana Standard to be paid. That was for CDBG. Um is in the amount of twenty-one thousand nine hundred forty-seven dollars. Budget transfer request for landscaping labor for the Park Street community garden. That uh was from the library. Library grant funds.
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