MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The City of Morgantown will move forward on budgets related to a half dozen municipal funds for FY25-26.
Morgantown Finance Director Jonathan Furgison presented details on funds that account for the Morgantown Municipal Airport, allocations for the Municipal Sales Tax, and the City Opioid Settlement Fund, as well as three separate funds, as part of a presentation to the Morgantown City Council Tuesday. This included details on over $14.5 million in projected expenditures that will vary from funds supporting arts and culture, maintenance of large-scale city facilities, and BOPARC.
“This (accounts for) budgets for the Municipal Airport Fund, the Municipal Sales Tax Fund, the Opiate Settlement Fund, the Arts and Culture Development Fund, the MET Theatre Fund, and the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park Fund,” said Furgison.
Amongst the six budgets presented by Furgison during the council’s meeting Tuesday, the largest amount of expenditures stemmed from allocations as part of the Municipal Sales Tax Fund, which was projected to have a value of just over $9 million. Those funds will be allocated in separate portions where the City of Morgantown General Fund, the City Capital Escrow Fund, and BOPARC will receive just over $2.25 million, with approximately $1.12 million allocated to police and fire pension funds.
“With a projected municipal sales tax revenue of $9,039,036, corresponding (with) projected municipal sales tax fund expenditures for a grand total of $9,039,036,” said Furgison.
The second largest fund presented by Furgison as part of the resolution involved the Morgantown Municipal Airport Fund, which had a projected budget of around $5.57 million. This accounts for approximately $4.3 million in revenues as part of the airport running as a fixed-based operator as well as approximately $1.19 million that will be received through a variety of governmental revenues and service operations. Those combined funds will support just over $2.3 million in general expenses for the airport, with the rest allocated towards airport expenses as a fixed base operator.
“Projected municipal airport revenues are a grand total of $5,494,240,” said Furgison on the total projected value of the airport fund.
Furgison also added that approximately $121,000 is projected to be a part of the City Opioid Settlement as well as a projected budget of approximately $526,000 for the City of Morgantown Arts and Culture Development Fund. This is separate from a MET Theatre Fund budget of just over $200,000 as well as a projected budget for the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park Fund of $670,000. With those funds, combined with allocations of municipal sales tax dollars and a projected budget for the Morgantown Municipal Airport, Furgison feels it highlights all the efforts that will be taken by the city in the upcoming fiscal year.
“These proposed budgets reflect our unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility and strategic investments into our community’s well-being,” Furgison said.
The resolution approving all six budgets for FY25-26 was approved by the Morgantown City Council unanimously.