| Big Radio News Staff |
The city of Janesville is asking the city council to shift money to cover a $580,000 budget gap tied to two city departments who overshot on spending last year.
City Finance Director David Godek says the city attorney’s office ran $178,000 over budget, and the Janesville Fire Department ran $392,000 over budget.
Godek says the city attorney’s office saw costs jump because of the cost of outside attorneys.
Over the last year, the city has had outside lawyers handle a slew of big-ticket lawsuits over commercial property assessments. And the city is working with an outside lawyer to negotiate purchase of the former General Motors site.
The fire department had a slew of health-related absences, some of which led to longer-term family leave. Godek says costs spiked because of overtime by staff filling in.
Godek says that’s a challenge the fire department has faced two years running. But he says the department’s overtime costs as a result were less last year than the year prior.
Godek says such budget overruns are not unheard of, but they are more likely in city divisions whose annual costs can be hard to predict, such as city snow removal.
Yet, it’s actually unspent snow removal cash — alongside general funds — that Godek says the city will use to fill the budget hole.
