Where Dallas Is and Isn't Making Money, or: Oncor Had a Very Good Summer, AT&T Less So

This afternoon at 1, the city council's Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee will get together with a jam-packed agenda that will include an appearance by City Auditor Craig Kinton, who will outline his FY2012 to-do list. (Which includes a look-see at the city's ethics, as in: "Assess and evaluate the design and effectiveness of the City's ethics program and activities.") And in advance of that meeting, the city was also handed this FYI -- the latest snapshot at revenues and expenses provided by City Manager Mary Suhm, which stops keeping count at July 31 and says that general fund revenues are close to $3 million below budget while expenses are $4.5 below budget.

The reasons for both are myriad. Let's highlight some of 'em. On the plus side, Oncor revenues are way up, by some $3.58 million, due to "an increase in consumption as a result of abnormal weather." But AT&T franchise revenues are down by $1.6 million "due to customers witching to other providers and also switching to wireless service." And, yet again, red-light camera revenues are down by $1.09 million. The reason: "increased compliance and delays in adding and relocating cameras."

Other things to note: Library-fine collections are down, park revenues are up, private disposal revenues are way down (by close to $5.4 million), the city's getting collecting fewer false-alarm fees than anticipated, and there's been a decrease in the number of folks getting birth and death certificates. Also: There's been a delay in starting up night court, and while delays in hiring in Sustainable Development have cost the city close to $200,000, Suhm says that construction revenues are actually way above the guesstimated amount (by $4 million) due to "an increase in construction activity," which is good news.