Ephraim transfers some funds,
modifies budgets
By Lloyd Call
Associate Publisher
6-25-2020
EPHRAIM—The Ephraim City Council made adjustments to both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budgets based on sales tax projections stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic during their regular council meeting Wednesday, June 17.
There is a two-month lag getting actual sales tax totals, so the council only had the March 2020 sales tax revenues to plan from, so to be prudent, the council took steps to plan for decreased revenues. Besides adjusting the budgets, the city approved the transfer of $141,000 in Enterprise funds back into specific utility funds and the general fund.
To explain Enterprise funds, some city meters are not measured, such as for the city building, parks and other municipal buildings, and the city is required to pay those bills from the general fund. For example, the sewer fund uses a huge amount of electricity. The city pays itself for the electricity, and the funds are put in an account called Enterprise funds. The city can transfer those funds from the Enterprise account back into the funds that paid them, if desired.
The city also received a $20,000 grant for the Ephraim-Manti Airport fund, and this was reflected in next year’s budget.
The city made a lot line adjustment for Loren Steck, who discovered a discrepancy in lot lines when he tried to use his property. “He discovered the survey line for his property actually went through his house,” Bryan Kimball explained. The city quit claim deeded his property back to Steck, in exchange for correcting the survey error, and securing the city’s right-of-way for the adjacent street.
The city also heard from the utility department, who reported on the specifics of the power outage caused by the wild weather a couple of weeks ago that took down six power lines west of Ephraim. That storm also impacted the lower power station, blowing the bearings out of a generator because of the impact of flood waters, and causing the generator to short out. That generator is now in Idaho, being repaired for $44,000.
By August 18, the council hopes to review the policy on use of solar power. It was also noted that the city is cancelling its July 1 council meeting.
