Findlay's 2024 operating budget to top $37 million

Hearings for the city of Findlay's 2024 operating budget, expected to be about $37.2 million, begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday. During the hearings, which typically take four to five hours to complete, about 16 city department heads are expected to discuss their budget requests and goals in the new year. The hearings will be held at the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza. The hearings are open to the public and will be livestreamed on the city's YouTube page: www.youtube.com/@findlayohio4234 Findlay Auditor Jim Staschiak said the general fund remains in a "strong cash position." The city is expected to end the year with a balance of about $24.6 million. "... The city continues to maintain a strong cash position in the general fund and is projected to end the 2024 budget year with $23.8 million, which is $14.5 million above its unappropriated reserve policy minimum balance," said Staschiak, in a letter to Findlay City Council, dated Dec. 5, and included in this year's budget presentation. Income tax collections are estimated at $30 million next year. This year, the city is expected to collect about $36 million by year's end. Mayor Christina Muryn said city departments will also finish the year under budget by about $2.2 million. The money will be returned to the general fund. "Both of these items position us well heading into 2024 and will continue to provide a buffer for economic downturns, enhance our financial position, complete flood mitigation and invest in projects that will provide long-term economic benefit," Muryn said. In a letter to council, dated Nov. 22, also included in the city's budget book, Muryn identified four areas of budgeting she called vital. She said the focus is on "investing in our people, ensuring optimized operations, being prudent managers of our finances, and keeping our stakeholders (residents, business partners, visitors, etc.) at the core of every decision." In 2024, Muryn said city officials will work to continue to align the budget with community priorities, as identified in the city's new strategic plan, "Findlay Forward," and "ensure Findlay continues to establish itself as a world-class community." Staschiak said public response to the strategic planning effort "clearly shows that Findlay's citizens want to stay a small, friendly, safe community." Honoring that desire, he said, will be one of the biggest challenges for Findlay's elected officials in the year ahead. The city's entire budget proposal for 2024 is available for public review online at www.findlayohio.gov . It can be found on the auditor's page under "Budget Presentations."