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SALUDA—On Monday, the Saluda Board of Commissioners called a special meeting to reconcile the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30.

Saluda Finance Officer Julie Osteen addressed the Board with final adjustments that would balance the budget. The budget needed to be balanced before it could be voted on and passed.

“We are increasing total revenues budgeted by $78,990. The biggest increase in that is the investment earnings that we received from our North Carolina government and trust fund of $16,000,” Osteen told the Board. Other major contributors to the total revenue included alcoholic beverage taxes and cemetery plots.

There were also increases in expenditures that had to be accounted for. The public safety budget was increased by $24,050, with $17,000 of that number being salary, benefits and vacation/personal time for police officers. There was also a $12,000 increase in transportation and maintenance, $500 for environmental protection and $14,500 for recreation. 

The majority of the recreation expenditures are reserved for Pace and McCreery Parks, mainly for the Wi-Fi boosters that are being installed. 

With the expenditures and revenues balanced out, the Board of Commissioners  unanimously approved the budget for the fiscal year.

The budget for 2023-2024 was approved on June 5.