BAILEYTON — After being thwarted by a sudden power outage last month from getting the job done, the new council administration at Baileyton has finally passed its annual budget for the coming 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Mayor Windell Calloway and the town council approved budgeted spending totaling $262,214 for 2021, a number that comes in far beneath the approximately $478,000 in spending bundled in with this year’s budget. One-time expenses incurred during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, including a $285,000 investment in a new town hall building, account for much of the difference between the two budgets.

On the revenues side, Baileyton anticipates receiving $331,561 in local funds, which flow to the town in the form of sales taxes, along with gas taxes, excise taxes, TVA taxes, and other general taxes and fees. In addition, the town holds $208,886 in a money market General Fund account, as well as $163,146 in additional restricted funds, which are earmarked for specific projects and are not factored into general budgeted spending for the 2021 fiscal year. In all, Baileyton expects to carry net revenues totaling $704,599 in the year to come.

Town clerk Patricia Gilbert said Tuesday that the council has historically tried to retain its $208,000 General Fund balance from year to year, as a security measure against unforeseen and non-budgeted expenses.

Administrative costs, which include $70,000 in salaries, as well as ongoing services related to town facilities (such as insurance, utilities, legal services, and supplies), comprise the largest portion of the $262,214 spending budget for the year to come, totaling $137,514 overall.

Capital outlays — including $21,000 for security cameras at the new town hall, as well as the first annual $10,000 payment on recently-purchased land, will total $45,500. Parks and recreation will cost the town a budgeted amount of $26,500 in the coming year. The street department will consume $21,000 in budgeted funds.

Baileyton also plans to spend an estimated $31,700 on various items related to organizational support for the town, with the majority of that amount ($11,000 and $10,500) going to the Baileyton Volunteer Fire Department and Parkside School, respectively. The town’s annually-recurring decision to support both organizations will help the fire department replace two of its personal protective suits (which it endeavors to replace at the rate of two suits each year), while affording 30 teacher units at Parkside each a $300 supplement to be used, at each teacher’s discretion, for in-classroom use.

During a work session held early last month, the council had all but finished work on the budget and intended to approve it at a Nov. 4 meeting. But a Nov. 4 power outage compelled the council to postpone final approval of the budget until its regular meeting on Dec. 7, when the budget finally passed by unanimous vote.