Patterson revenue up a little, expenses up a lot in budget amendment

PATTERSON -- The city government's general fund revenue is running above budget so far this fiscal year. But expenses have risen much faster.

The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to reflect those realities in a budget amendment.

Revenue is running about $2,000 over the budget, according to the amendment approved Tuesday. As in other governments across the parish, tax revenues have been surprisingly steady given the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting business restrictions and unemployment..

But the hike in income was much more than offset by spending that is running $590,000 over budget.

City Accountant Reginald Weary said the busy hurricane season contributed to the extra expenses by leading to added overtime pay for employees.

City employee insurance premiums are up 6.5%, Mayor Rodney Grogan said. And he said four police officers are out and receiving worker's compensation.

One of the big contributors to the added expenses is a new regulation from the federal government that other municipalities are also dealing with.

The new rule requires water plants to have at least one employee with a Class 3 or Class 4 certification onsite at all times the plants are running.

Patterson has one Class 3 employee and one with a Class 4, the highest level of certification.

But the requirement administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services means the two employees work seven days a week, even though the city's new $5 million water plant is automated.

Replacements are hard to find. Officials at Tuesday's meeting say certification requires not just instruction and an examination, but it also requires three years of experience at a water plant.

"The DHH is killing us," Grogan said.

The water plant and the Police Department added about $200,000 each to the $590,000 additional spending.

Also Tuesday, the council declared the old water plant, which dates to before World War II, to be inoperable.