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Record of Proceedings

Powell Finance Committee Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyPowell, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:41:14

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0:00

I will call this meeting of the Powell Finance Committee to order.

0:06

Please call a roll.

0:07

Marvin Banisek here.

0:09

Jennifer Benefits.

0:10

Here.

0:11

Carlson here.

0:12

All counts?

0:13

Here.

0:13

Kurt Ramsey.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Okay, the minutes were included in your materials.

0:18

Are there any additions or corrections to be made?

0:21

Hearing none will approve the minutes by consensus.

0:25

Next item on the agenda is the financial reports.

0:29

Sam.

0:29

All right.

0:30

I'll take it away with April, just kind of catch us up on the most recent month for the sake of time.

0:36

But if anybody has any specific questions about March, we can look at that as well.

0:40

But I'll go over April year.

0:43

So as of April, year to date, our total operating revenue was 7.2 million.

0:50

This was 32 and a half percent of the budget, so it's a little bit slightly under our target of 33.3%.

0:59

Our taxes assessments and related revenue at 6.2 million.

1:05

We're still below our target there.

1:07

That was at 31.3% of the budget under the target of 33.3%.

1:15

But we're doing fairly well with other revenue.

1:18

You can see there 46% of the budget.

1:21

Our interest revenue is up 12% compared to 2025.

1:27

I'm sure we'll get into that a little bit in our our next agenda item too.

1:33

But our uh so revenue is still still looking pretty good for the for the year here.

1:39

I'm sure we'll after next month, we'll probably get a better idea on how tax receipts might shake out for the year with the April tax filing deadlines.

1:49

We'll see that in March reporting, or excuse me, May reporting.

1:54

Um so I think after next month we may have a better idea of how things are gonna shake out for the year.

2:00

I chuckle when you said that uh revenue was 7.2 million, and prior to 2021, that was the entire year's revenue that we had.

2:13

Yeah, it's crazy.

2:16

Umberating expenditures year to date 4.2 million.

2:21

Um that's below our target, it's at 25.7 percent of the budget, which is good.

2:26

That's expected with um expenses.

2:29

Um I'll kind of highlight the transfers.

2:33

They're at 2.5 million for the year at 38.7 percent of the budget.

2:39

It's a little high.

2:40

Um, we had a little extra cash flow in April, um, so we use that cash flow to transfer out to the capital projects fund to transfer to the street maintenance fund for some of our upcoming larger um capital expenses that we'll run.

2:56

But still with that total expenditures year to date 7.2 million, and that's 29.8 percent of the budget.

3:04

Um for the year, our net cash flow basically flat.

3:08

Um, it's a little bit um under zero there, so there's kind of excess or deficiency of expenses over revenue there, which is about six thousand dollars.

3:19

So any questions on that first question?

3:22

Yes, no, okay.

3:26

All right, cash balances, all funds as of the end of April, 51.6 million.

3:34

This was uh 2.6 million increase from year end.

3:39

Um I'll highlight that we received our semi-annual um property tax receipts from the county.

3:47

That was about 1.75 million for all funds.

3:53

Um that's about half.

3:55

We'll probably get the same similar amount in August, whenever we get the second half of the year.

4:01

General fund cash balance 23.4 million, and then our general fund unencumbered balance 21.3 million.

4:10

So that's after all of our open purchase orders.

4:12

So that unencumbered balance is what's truly available.

4:17

Um towards the bottom there, that just kind of gives a breakout of our monthly cash flow.

4:23

I know um Kurt, you had a question on April, just the the change, the um increase in that activity.

4:31

So yes, the revenue went up, um, a lot of it from the property tax receipts and then the expenses went up because then we transferred that out into the other funds, and then our year-to-date revenue as of April, um it's about 5.6% lower than April 25.

4:53

So a lot of that can be attributed to the taxes and revenue and specifically the income tax to keep going.

5:00

And specifically the income tax you keep going.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Review██████████████████████████████30%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████████████28%
Capital Improvements Planning██████████████14%
Planning And Zoning█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Economic Development████4%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Procurement Policy█1%
Procedural█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Powell Finance Committee Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026

The Powell Finance Committee met on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered financial reports for March and April 2026, a treasury management presentation by three+one, a review of proposed zoning code fee schedule changes, and Q2 2026 supplemental appropriations. The committee discussed revenue trends, cash position forecasting, and fee simplification. No formal votes were taken, but consensus was reached to advance the zoning fee schedule and to continue reviewing supplemental appropriations.

Financial Reports (Sam, Finance Director)

  • General Fund Revenue: Year-to-date total operating revenue of $7.2 million as of April 2026 (32.5% of budget, slightly under the 33.3% target). Tax assessments and related revenue were $6.2 million (31.3% of budget). Interest revenue was up 12% compared to 2025.
  • Expenditures: Year-to-date total expenditures of $4.2 million (25.7% of budget, favorable). Transfers were $2.5 million (38.7% of budget), partly due to moving cash to capital projects and street maintenance funds.
  • Cash and Investments: All-funds cash balance as of April 30 was $51.6 million, a $2.6 million increase from year-end. General fund unencumbered balance was $21.3 million. The investment portfolio totaled $41 million, with 99% invested in Star Ohio and Meter-managed funds.
  • Tax Collection Analysis: Income tax receipts were $1.7 million for April. Year-to-date tax receipts of $5.6 million were 7.7% below the same period in 2025. Sam presented data from RITA showing a net decrease of $170,000 from three large employers, attributed to employees returning to in-person work outside Powell. The committee discussed the potential for further declines if more employers require five-day office attendance. New revenues from a new grocer and future OSU withholding were noted as offsets.
  • Staffing Update: All open positions are now filled or offers accepted, with the new finance director starting May 18 and a maintenance specialist starting June 1. The only ongoing vacancy is a part-time Parks & Rec instructor position.

Treasury Management Presentation (Alex DeRosa, three+one)

  • Purpose: To provide data on the city’s cash position, liquidity, and investment efficiency. The city’s “cashVest” score is 96 out of 100, with top marks in liquidity proficiency and Warwick rate indicator.
  • Key Metrics: The city’s average cash position over the past 12 months was $50.1 million. Analysis shows $44 million can be consistently invested in fixed-income portfolios at varying durations; $7 million is held as a cushion (about four months of operating expenses).
  • Investment Strategy: Over 99% of cash is invested (Star Ohio, money market, Meter portfolio). The overnight sweep account at Key Bank earns ~3.15%, while Star Ohio earns ~3.7%. The Meter portfolio locks in rates for longer terms, providing budget certainty.
  • Forecasting: A six-month cash projection shows stable balances. The committee discussed scenario analysis for large capital expenditures (e.g., Bennett Farm, Village Green) and the impact of using cash vs. debt. Alex DeRosa noted that many cities are beginning to draw down cash reserves for planned projects, and Powell’s proactive data-driven approach is valuable.
  • Discussion Points:
    • Council members emphasized the need to understand worst-case revenue scenarios from return-to-work trends.
    • The upcoming OSU campus is expected to generate new withholding tax revenue.
    • The city’s infrastructure index (PCI) reached 74 (goal 75), suggesting capital maintenance needs may level off.
    • The committee agreed that future presentations should incorporate budget and capital project forecasts to show cash position impacts.

Zoning Code Fee Schedule Update (Logan Stang, Planning Director)

  • Proposed Changes: A revised fee schedule to accompany the new zoning code (planned for adoption in August 2026). Key changes include:
    • Moving from acreage-based fees to flat fees to improve consistency.
    • Differentiating between staff-level and board/commission review fees.
    • Reducing residential variance fees to align with neighboring communities.
    • Consolidating overlapping application types.
  • Implementation: The new fee schedule will be integrated with a new permitting software (single point of entry for planning, building, and engineering permits). A resource guide will be provided to simplify the process for homeowners and developers.
  • Fiscal Impact: The proposed fee changes are revenue-neutral overall, with reductions focused on residents. The planning department processes 30-37 applications per year, with volatile revenue depending on development scale.
  • Committee Response: Members expressed support for simplification and resident-friendly fees. Councilman Herman’s past concerns about fee increases were addressed; the committee agreed the proposal represents no net increase. Consensus was reached to move the schedule forward to full council for adoption alongside the zoning code.

Q2 2026 Supplemental Appropriations (Sam, Finance Director)

  • Presentation: A new spreadsheet was provided showing the projected unappropriated balance for each fund after proposed adjustments. The sheet tracks beginning carryover, budgeted revenue, budgeted expenses, and the net effect of supplemental adjustments.
  • Key Adjustments:
    • Capital projects accounts were reduced for projects not expected to be completed in 2026 (e.g., Pool Harbor Ridge – moved to next CIP cycle).
    • Debt service lines were adjusted because LCFA bonds were paid off early.
    • A $20,000 “seed money” line was included for a new Delaware County Community Foundation fund, proposed to support future city initiatives (e.g., memorial fund, Bennett Farm). Discussion occurred on whether this should be recorded as an expense or an asset transfer. The committee asked staff to verify the accounting treatment before finalizing.
  • Outcome: The committee acknowledged the supplemental appropriations will be presented at the next council meeting (May 19, 2026). No formal vote was taken, but the information was received and noted.

Key Outcomes

  • Consensus to advance zoning fee schedule: The committee agreed the proposed fee updates should proceed to council with the new zoning code in August 2026.
  • Supplemental appropriations: To be reviewed and approved at the May 19 council meeting; the seed money line item will be clarified per accounting guidance.
  • Future presentations: Staff will provide monthly RITA withholding reports and incorporate capital budget scenarios into cash-flow forecasts for future finance committee meetings.
  • Investment strategy: The committee agreed to continue working with three+one and Meter to refine the investment portfolio as capital expenditures ramp up.

Meeting Transcript

I will call this meeting of the Powell Finance Committee to order. Please call a roll. Marvin Banisek here. Jennifer Benefits. Here. Carlson here. All counts? Here. Kurt Ramsey. Here. Okay, the minutes were included in your materials. Are there any additions or corrections to be made? Hearing none will approve the minutes by consensus. Next item on the agenda is the financial reports. Sam. All right. I'll take it away with April, just kind of catch us up on the most recent month for the sake of time. But if anybody has any specific questions about March, we can look at that as well. But I'll go over April year. So as of April, year to date, our total operating revenue was 7.2 million. This was 32 and a half percent of the budget, so it's a little bit slightly under our target of 33.3%. Our taxes assessments and related revenue at 6.2 million. We're still below our target there. That was at 31.3% of the budget under the target of 33.3%. But we're doing fairly well with other revenue. You can see there 46% of the budget. Our interest revenue is up 12% compared to 2025. I'm sure we'll get into that a little bit in our our next agenda item too. But our uh so revenue is still still looking pretty good for the for the year here. I'm sure we'll after next month, we'll probably get a better idea on how tax receipts might shake out for the year with the April tax filing deadlines. We'll see that in March reporting, or excuse me, May reporting. Um so I think after next month we may have a better idea of how things are gonna shake out for the year. I chuckle when you said that uh revenue was 7.2 million, and prior to 2021, that was the entire year's revenue that we had. Yeah, it's crazy. Umberating expenditures year to date 4.2 million. Um that's below our target, it's at 25.7 percent of the budget, which is good. That's expected with um expenses. Um I'll kind of highlight the transfers. They're at 2.5 million for the year at 38.7 percent of the budget. It's a little high. Um, we had a little extra cash flow in April, um, so we use that cash flow to transfer out to the capital projects fund to transfer to the street maintenance fund for some of our upcoming larger um capital expenses that we'll run. But still with that total expenditures year to date 7.2 million, and that's 29.8 percent of the budget. Um for the year, our net cash flow basically flat. Um, it's a little bit um under zero there, so there's kind of excess or deficiency of expenses over revenue there, which is about six thousand dollars. So any questions on that first question? Yes, no, okay. All right, cash balances, all funds as of the end of April, 51.6 million. This was uh 2.6 million increase from year end. Um I'll highlight that we received our semi-annual um property tax receipts from the county. That was about 1.75 million for all funds.

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