La Crosse committee looks at budget-balancing moves

La Crosse’s city council is looking at ways to balance individual department budgets.

Some city departments spent more than their planned budgets last year, while others had some money to spare.

Thursday, the council’s Finance and Personnel Committee approved plans to carry over money from departments that had a surplus and use money from the general fund to even out other budgets.

The fire, engineering and park departments all had cost overruns.

For example, fire department costs exceeded its funding by $224,000, according to city figures.

La Crosse Parks, Recreation and Forestry director Jay Odegaard told the committee that his department does make an effort to balance out the spending with the revenue they take in from different activities.

“Our expenses come with the revenue, so we work very hard to balance how that expense relates to everything from swim lessons to shelter reservations, fishing tournaments, so on and so forth,” Odegaard said.

Proposed budget adjustments will get a review by the full city council at its monthly meeting next week — the last meeting by the council before a new mayor and half the council is sworn in from the spring elections.