OBSERVER file photo A Fredonia fire truck is pictured outside Village Hall.

A look at Fredonia’s adopted 2024-25 budget suggests it is running well short of projections in a key revenue line, ambulance service billing.

However, it’s clear there are other problematic parts of the budget.

The village budgeted $800,000 in ambulance charge revenue, according to a copy of the budget that’s available on the Fredonia website.

Fredonia Fire Department chief Josh Myers said at a Board of Trustees workshop in December that the agency has taken in about $551,334 of ambulance service revenue over the last 12 months.

It’s an imperfect comparison, as the village’s fiscal years begin every June 1. However, the numbers suggest a problem area as Fredonia deals with a cash shortfall.

The budget did not start on the firmest financial footing to begin with: It has a $117,455 operating loss baked into the general fund. The gap was made up with fund balance, leaving the village with about $766,000 in fund balance.

Similarly, the water fund included a $122,082 gap. However, the sewer fund did manage to go $57,652 on the “plus” side.

Meanwhile, property tax rates went up 5.85%, to $39.25 per $1,000 of assessed property, up from $36.95 per $1,000. Water and sewer rates also went up, to $7per 1,000 gallons.

As is the case across many local municipalities, contractually mandated salary and health insurance increases are one cause of Fredonia’s budget woes.

The fire department saw a more than $105,000 increase in its personnel line, going to $608,160 in the adopted budget from $503,151 in 2023-24’s budget.

The treasurer’s department personnel line went up to $70,945, from $59,973. The clerk’s personnel line rose to $48,932, from $42,435.

The employee benefits line rose to $1,781,089, more than $70,000 more than in 2023-24.

Overall, Fredonia budgeted $257,031 more in expenses for 2024-25 than the previous year.