ELKINS — Elkins City Council has approved a $7.1 million general budget for the 2027 fiscal year, an 8% increase over the current budget.

The new proposed budget was approved by the eight council members present at the March 19 meeting. First Ward representative Cody Kerns and Second Ward representative Michael Hinchman were absent from the meeting.

The proposed Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Budget has expenditures and revenues balanced at $7,139,554. This balance is an 8% increase of $548,242 over the FY 2026 budget of $6,591,312. FY 2027 begins July 1, 2026 and runs until June 30, 2027.

The city’s three highest budgeted revenues listed for FY 2027 are the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax, with projected revenue of $2,005,000; sales tax, with $1,600,000; and property taxes, with $1,301,559. The Coal Severance Tax Fund Revenues for the City are expected to be $90,000 in FY 2027.

The highest budgeted expense of FY 2027 is $2,100,800 for the Elkins Police Department, a $296,631 increase from FY 2026’s expense, which was $1,804,169.

The FY 2027 projected expenses for the Mayor’s Office was also increased from $35,730 in FY 2026 to $120,080, an $84,350 increase.

During the March 19 meeting, Fourth Ward council member Andrew Carroll asked if $61,000 in the Mayor’s Office’s salary and wages was for the executive secretary. Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and Elkins City Treasurer Tracy Judy explained that the City of Elkins IT Manager, Dewaine Corley, has been placed partially under the Mayor’s Office’s budget.

As Marco explained further, Corley is a full-time employee who works “a certain amount of hours” for the City’s Public Water System Chief Operator and Manager Wes Lambert, and then works the rest of the time for the Mayor’s Office. Carroll commented that the $61,000 amount looked like a full-time position under the Mayor’s Office, to which Judy explained that the amount was based on 20 hours a week.

A City of Elkins press release stated that the City’s finance committee, treasurer and administrative officers developed the budget in the context of “several significant financial pressures.” This, the City explained, included rising health insurance costs, inflation affecting materials and services, ongoing debt obligations and the increased costs associated with public safety services.

“Elkins’ FY 2027 budget reflects difficult tradeoffs caused by rising costs and limited revenue growth,” the release stated. “While the city’s revenues remain stable, they have not increased at a sufficient pace to offset all ongoing cost pressures. As a result, Council prioritized funding for core services such as public safety, infrastructure and employee benefits.”

Also during the March 19 meeting, Fifth Ward council member Burley Woods raised questions about a sentence in the budget that states, “The court clerk position will be absorbed internally due to revenues and expenditures.” Judy explained that revenues from the municipal court are “way down” and the court clerk position has been open for four months.

“To hire someone at 25 hours, full benefits would really put that budget more to $140,000 to $150,000 when we’re, as of right now, bringing in less than $15,000,” Judy said. “The court has never been expected to be a high revenue.”

Judy went on to say the position would be absorbed into the General Fund. The City’s Municipal Court is budgeted for FY 2027 for $116,450.

The FY 2027 projected expenses for Elkins City Hall decreased from $700,600 in FY 2026 to $588,200, a decrease of $112,400.

Elkins City Hall has been closed for restoration and recovery work since Aug. 31, 2024, after a sewage overflow incident flooded the building’s basement and first floor, including the Elkins City Police Department. The building could reopen as soon as July with a “hard deadline” of late August, according to city officials.

FY 2027 expenditures for the Street Department will be $1,331,000, a $82,649 increase from FY 2026, which was $1,248,351.

Per West Virginia state law, revenues and expenditures for the city’s water and sewer utilities must be managed and accounted for entirely separately from the General Fund, as none of those revenues, such as sales tax, may be used for costs of the Water or Sanitary Funds, and vice versa.

The Elkins Parks and Recreation Department FY 2027 budget will be increased to $345,796, a $40,000 increase from its FY 2026 budget of $305,796.

Other expenditures on the FY 2027 budget include:

City Council’s Office: $100,910, a $2,910 increase from FY 2026’s $98,000.

Treasurer’s Office: $345,200, a $19,500 increase from FY 2026’s $325,700.

City Clerk’s Office: $278,510, a $26,810 increase from FY 2026’s $251,700.

City Attorney’s Office: $75,000, a $20,000 decrease from FY 2026’s $95,000.

Elkins City Council will meet again on April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Phil Gainer Community Center.