Wasco midyear finances reported on track

The Wasco City Council approved its last year's financial report, detailing the results from the actual operations compared to the projected budget.

The city has been in compliance within its projected budget and has even had an increase in revenue that was above projected numbers. This was due to a conservative projection that took into account the efforts of the city and the public in recovering from the pandemic, financially and economically. The only bump in the road on the report was expenditures in the reserves, which were not on the projections. This dip into the reserves was because of the city paying the Kern County Sheriff's Department under their law enforcement contract and at the same time, paying startup costs for the new Wasco Police Department.

Total revenues for the year were up from the previous year, but sales tax decreased by about $172,000. According to the auditors and reports, this drop wass due to a change in the consumer buying habits and inflation eroding the consumer market. Additionally, property tax revenue declined, because of a big drop in property values and a change in assessment methods.

In other council action, Brent Harrison was appointed to a four-year term on the Wasco Recreation and Parks District Board. Interviews were held last week by members of the council, and Harrison was selected. Harrison said he looked forward to serving the community and the youth of Wasco.

Mayor Alex Garcia presented a proclamation to the Kern County Fire Department in observance of Safely Surrender Month in Wasco. Safely Surrender is a program implemented in Kern County years ago that gives new mothers an opportunity to safely surrender their newborn infant without any repercussions within the first 72 hours of the baby's life. The infant can be turned over to any fire department, clinic or hospital in Kern County and the baby will be taken care of, assuring he or she is healthy and safe.