Finance committee approves $391,155.21 expenditure list, fields questions on claims and transfers

The Butte City Finance and Budget Committee approved an expenditure list totaling $391,155.21 during its March 18 meeting.

A committee member moved to approve the list “as of Wednesday, 03/18/2026 in the amount of $391,155.21,” and Chair Thatcher called for the vote; members answered “aye” and the motion passed, with no roll-call tallies recorded in the transcript. The approval followed brief questions about several claims and planned budget transfers.

Why it matters: the session combined routine bill-paying with multiple transfers that shift funds among departments for equipment, staffing costs tied to longevity, and small capital repairs. Staff outlined adjustments intended to keep line items aligned through the end of the fiscal year.

Committee members flagged specific claims before the vote. Commissioner Shea asked to review claims 7231 and 7232 (sponsorships for annual auctions and dinner tables); a staff member said claim 7231 included older items from 2023 that were only now being presented and asked that late claims be processed promptly rather than carried across years. Another committee member questioned two motor-home disposal charges (claim 6982) listed at different rates ($4.50 and $8.50); the claim number was confirmed but the transcript does not include a final explanation for the price difference.

On earmarked distributions, a committee member asked about claim 7317, an alcohol-fund distribution of about $19,064.90. A staff member said this is a quarterly distribution from the state of Montana (about $23,000) that the council divides among local entities according to prior council-approved percentages. “And I think it’s Dubuque Cares into the CCCS, which is the SMART program,” the staff member said in the transcript.

Staff then reviewed a series of budget transfers and reallocations. Highlights included:
- General-fund transfers totaling $1,400 to cover duplicating costs for courthouse blueprints and unbudgeted longevity costs.
- A roads-maintenance transfer of $40,843 to cover longevity wages and materials, including emulsion totes for the DuraPatcher used on pothole repairs.
- A $3,000 Public Works solid-waste transfer to replace a landfill printer and a $2,000 transfer to add a flatbed to a sandbox truck (T37) so the unit can be moved into service.
- A $780 transfer to purchase a computer monitor for Director Hassler and a $3,400 adjustment for parking-garage window replacement.
- A $6,189 district-court transfer to reflect subscription-line changes and additional postage needs.
- Health-department transfers of $5,000 for a new microscope and $568 for advertising COVID-vaccine events.

Commissioner O'Leary later asked whether a maintenance contract typically accompanies a new printer. A staff member explained that new printers are often purchased with a maintenance agreement that covers per-copy charges and toner delivery and can reduce IT workload, saying the agreements “usually cover—your toners are covered under the cost of that maintenance agreement” and that it “ends up, you know, paying for itself.”

The committee adjourned after the review and vote.