City passes $46M budget

The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening approved a budget of $46.1 million for 2025 at its regular meeting.

No one from the public commented on the budget. The council gave preliminary approval to it at its Nov. 5 meeting.

Mike Githens, the city’s director of financial services, told the council of changes to the general fund from the preliminary budget.

In an email to the Journal, Githens explained the city increased the revenue by $150,000 and increased expenditures $212,500 for a net increase over the first budget hearing of $62,500. With the changes, the ending fund balance is $1,131,267 instead of $1,068,767, he wrote.

Mayor Eric Onisko thanked Githens and city staff for their work producing the budget.

The budget totals $46,115,096, with a general fund appropriation of $17,042,051. The state requires the budget be approved by the end of the year.

The budget adds one additional employee, a custodial position eliminated in 2023 in the facilities department.

The city’s $46,115,096 budget expenditures include $17,042,051 for the general fund, $2,377,749 for the street fund, $535,000 for the Transportation Benefit District, $23,000 for general resources, $97,000 for tourism funds, $181,300 for the bond fund, $6,017,072 for the capital improvement fund, $4,233,864 for the water fund, $8,452,254 for the sewer fund, $50,000 for the solid waste fund, $2,263,176 for the storm drainage fund, $763,500 for the water capital fund, $1,303,500 for the sewer capital fund, $272,500 for the storm drainage capital fund, $160,350 for the payroll benefits fund, $1,260,668 for the equipment rental fund, $80,600 for the firefighters’ pension fund, $30,000 for the library endowment fund and $971,512 for real estate excise tax.