Elberta Budget 101: A Public Workshop

It's not rocket science!

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Elberta Budget 101: A Public Workshop

When: Sunday, February 15, 5:30 pm–7 pm

Where: Elberta Heritage Center, 704 Frankfort Avenue, Elberta

You may have heard that the Elberta Village Council will be holding a public hearing on the draft 2026–27 Budget at 6:30 on Thursday, February 19, and will shortly afterward vote on that budget at the 7 pm meeting.

If you’re like me, you keep track of your expenses and maybe have a household budget that you sort of stick to, and you amend your budget once at the beginning of each year (I’m not saying this is the way to do it) and the first time you saw the Village budget you were like whhaaaaaaat. Presented by Cathy Anderson, this workshop will help residents understand how to read the budget, where the money comes from, and where it is allocated for the upcoming fiscal year.

How are staff salaries spread over different departments? What is an equipment payback? Where does grant money go? These and other matters will be explained. The workshop will not be a critique or analysis of this year’s salaries or costs, just a general discussion of how to understand a municipal budget. Anderson can answer a lot of your questions on the whys and hows, and how the structure of the budget relates to local and State laws and regulations.

Copies of the budget are available at the Village of Elberta website. You can print and bring your own copy, but there will also be plenty of paper copies on hand for those without a printer. This workshop will help you if you’ve thought about running for Council or volunteering your time on a commission or the Village Budget Grant Finance and Audit Committee (which currently does not have an Elberta resident member who’s not staff or a trustee).

Cathy Anderson lives in Elberta and served as Elberta Village Clerk and as a member of the Village Budget, Grant, Finance, and Audit Committee.

Caf and decaf coffee and various teas will be provided.

Photoillustration by me, using an image from the Benzie Area Historical Museum online archive.