James Windell
A public hearing on the proposed budget for the City of South Haven for the 2025-2026 fiscal year will be held on Monday, May 19, 2025.
The South Haven City Council approved the public hearing at its regular meeting on May 5. However, prior to the last City Council meeting on April 21 a budget workshop to introduce the budget for the next year by South Haven’s Finance Director Michele Argue.
During the budget workshop, Argue spelled out details of the city’s expected revenues and expenditures for the next fiscal year. Argue said that the expected revenue for the coming fiscal year that will go into the General Fund is $11.4 million. The General Fund accounts for resources traditionally associated with governments that are not required to be accounted for in another fund. In the City of South Haven, the functions of the General Fund include Legislative, General Administration, Parks, Police, Fire-Rescue, Ambulance, Development and Public Services activities not recorded in Special Revenue or Enterprise Funds. Argue told the City Council that the largest source of revenue comes from property taxes and 72% of all General Fund revenue comes from tax on real property, personal property and payment in lieu of taxes.
In detailing the expenditures in the budget, Argue said that expenditures in the budget will total approximately $11.4 million. The largest single expenditure in the budget will be Personnel Costs, which will amount to $5,156,107 and is about 43% of all expenditures. The City of South Haven employees 97 full-time people.
After the public hearing at the City Hall at 7:00 pm on May 19, the City Council will consider approving the budget.
To review the proposed budget, find it on the City’s website at //southhavencitymi.documents-on-demand.com/document/2666d907-901c-f011-a446-000c29a59557/Budget%20Document%2004-21-25.
