Casey Council OKs $1.12 Million in Bills, Adds Monthly Budget Reviews

Casey City Council Meeting | June 1, 2026

Article Summary: The Casey City Council on Monday, June 1, 2026, approved $1,124,800.45 in May bills and a $647,045.17 treasurer’s collection deposit report, both on 5-0 votes. Alderman Jeremiah Hanley told the council the finance committee will begin bringing monthly financial reports to the board as it finishes work on the city’s appropriations.

Casey City Finances Key Points:

• May 2026 bills paid totaled $1,124,800.45; the May treasurer’s collection deposit report totaled $647,045.17.
• The finance committee has met repeatedly in recent weeks and has scheduled what it hopes is its final appropriations session for June 16.
• The airport’s budget request came in flat, with unspent prior-year money carried forward.
• The committee will begin reporting monthly on the city’s financial sections rather than waiting for problems to surface.

CASEY — The Casey City Council on Monday, June 1, 2026, approved $1,124,800.45 in bills paid during May and accepted a $647,045.17 treasurer’s collection deposit report for the month, while its finance committee signaled a shift toward tighter, more frequent monitoring of city revenues and spending.

City Treasurer Gail Lorton presented both items. Alderman Jeremiah Hanley moved to approve the May bills, seconded by Alderman Carlene Richardson, and the motion carried 5-0. Alderman Lori Wilson moved to approve the treasurer’s collection deposit report, seconded by Alderman Tanner Brown; that motion also carried 5-0. Jenkins was absent from both votes.

Lorton cautioned the council that the collection deposit report reflects only money taken in through the collector’s office and is not a statement of total city revenues. “Again, this is the collection report, not the total revenues,” she said before the vote.

Finance Committee Nears End of Appropriations Work

Hanley, who chairs the finance committee, delivered the panel’s report under unfinished business. He said the committee met May 19, met again May 26, and convened a third time at 5:15 p.m. Monday, immediately before the regular council meeting.

At the May 19 session, Hanley said, members reviewed pending items while waiting to hear from the airport. The airport’s representative appeared at the May 26 meeting, according to Hanley and the official minutes, which identify him as Bob Dougherty. The request came in unchanged from the prior year.

“Airport was here, gave us their budget for the year, stayed the same as last year’s,” Hanley said. “A lot of the budget they asked for last year, they actually didn’t spend because they’re waiting for money to come in. So we just kind of carried that over.”

The committee also reviewed the city’s bonds. Hanley said the appropriations work is nearly complete, with “a couple things we have to tweak still,” and that the panel has scheduled June 16 as what it hopes will be its final session before it reviews overall budget numbers against revenues.

Monthly Reporting Ahead

Hanley said the committee intends to bring monthly financial reports to the council covering the city’s major sections — not individual line items — in order to catch problems earlier.

“We can try to [stay] on top of it and not let the situation get out of hand like some of the utilities did this particular year,” Hanley said. “And we know we’ve got less income and we have less people, but at the same time, we got to spend what we need to spend to keep the city operating.”

He framed the monthly cadence as a way to preserve flexibility. “If something unexpected comes in, we can maneuver. If we get some unexpected monies from a source, we can maneuver,” he said. “But it’s something we got to stay up on top of, because expenses are going up. Incomes, revenues are not as rapidly.”

Hanley also said the committee’s membership had been expanded so that Lorton would not carry the reporting burden alone, and indicated a third council member could be added depending on Jenkins’ availability.

During alderman reports, Hanley returned to the subject and asked Lorton whether the council could begin receiving a fuller monthly accounting alongside the collection report — a breakdown of everything coming in each month and total account balances — particularly given the move to monthly budget reviews. Lorton said the request could be accommodated. Nichols suggested the material be compiled with the monthly finance meeting and then brought to the full council.

“Yeah, that can be done. Not a problem,” Lorton said.

The council took no vote on the reporting change, which was described as a committee practice rather than a formal policy action.