The city of Jamestown ended 2022 with a surplus of just over $900,000, former Comptroller Joe Bellitto told City Council members during a work session meeting.

Bellitto briefed council members on last year’s unaudited budget, which saw revenues totaling about $37.8 million and expenditures at almost $38.5 million. The city had a budgeted deficit of $721,365, which was covered by use of its fund balance.

The former city comptroller said an audit of the 2022 budget will begin shortly.

“These numbers will not be final,” he said.

By the end of 2022, Bellitto said Jamestown had an unaudited fund balance of about $7.8 million.

For revenues, Bellitto said sales tax revenues exceeded what was budgeted by nearly $6,000. Other revenues last year included $178,585 for EMS; $1.2 Million in Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement aid; $987,184 in other state aid; $118,124 in payment in lieu of taxes with the city Board of Public Utilities; and $47,193 in various revenues.

Bellitto noted that some of the state aid, which has yet to be received, is coming from the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative program for the city’s illumination project by the Riverwalk.

For expenditures, the city was over budget by 2.29% in 2022. The city came in under budget on salaries and benefits, while contractual costs were over budget by about $1 million, though Bellitto said that was due to the illumination project.

Bellitto also highlighted a handful of “concerns” heading into 2024. They include contracts for the city’s police, fire and CSEA workers, all of which expire at the end of next year.

He also alluded to potential cuts in state aid to local municipalities due to large deficits facing New York.

“Who knows what they may do,” he said. “Hopefully nothing to the municipalities, but they’ve cut our aid numerous times over my 30 years.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist acknowledged the delay in having the year-end numbers be presented to the City Council.

“Because there was a delay just not having a comptroller — a lot of changes and shifts in the comptroller’s office, our finance office — Joe (Bellitto) has been diligently working to basically reconcile a portion of 2022 to get it ready for audit,” Sundquist told reporters.

Nonetheless, Sundquist was upbeat on the surplus, the health of the fund balance and the overall financial summary ahead of the official audit.

“It’s just showing that a lot of things that we’re doing are working, and hopefully will provide a benefit to all of our taxpayers going forward,” he continued. “We’re certainly at the place where we need to be in terms of our fund balance — our rainy day fund. In the event anything were to happen, we are just slightly above what is recommended from the federal government and auditing standards.”