BOTKINS — The Botkins Village Council is preparing for 2016.

At Tuesday night’s meeting they discussed the ins and outs of the village’s 2016 budget as prepared by Village Administrator Ryan Piche.

This preliminary presentation of the budget will be tweaked before the first reading of it at the Nov. 10 meeting.

If the year ended now, they would find their fund balance at $2.2 million. They had budgeted to spend $1.9 million. So far, they have spent about $1.2 million of it. Piche said they have been able to do this by keeping costs down and putting certain projects off, like road projects that they will be better able to plan for in the 2016 budget.

The expenditures for 2016 are high, but part of that is offset with grants they’re hoping to receive, it’s also taking into consideration they will be taking in a high fund balance at the end of the year, Piche said. If they start high, hopefully the revenue will be the same everywhere else.

Piche explained the big picture for the 2016 budget: they start around $2 million, take in an additional $1.9 million, he hopes, spend $2.3 million and end at $1.6 million; which is exactly where they were supposed to end this year.

After discussing several specific line items in the budget, the council discussed raising water and sewer rates for residents of Botkins so they have funds for fixing things at the water plant and have some money to replace meters and meter readers when needed.

This change will be similar to what Jackson Center just approved and will be voted on with the budget.

In conclusion on discussion of the budget, Piche said, “The biggest message for this is: we’re still in a good financial situation.”