Expenses Growing Out of Control
Expenses increased by $12.3 million or 30.7% over the study period. This was well beyond the 18.3% increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the same period.

As shown in Figure 2 above, the increase in expenses followed a relatively linear path during the fiscal years 2011 to 2020.  The linear projection of expenses, shown as dashed lines, into the future shows that expenses have been increasing steadily at a rate of nearly $1.29 million per year.  If Council continues on this path, expenses are projected to reach $63.5 million in the next 6 years. This represents an increase of $23.5 million from the $40.1 million they were in 2011.

To verify the accuracy of our projection we can use the equation for Trend Line, shown on the chart, to calculate a point on the Trend Line for 2022. The projected result for 2022 is $55,797,314 which is very close to what council approved for 2022 which $55.3 million, This is shown on the chart in figure 2 with a gold star.

To verify the accuracy of our projection we can use the equation for Trend Line, shown on the chart, to calculate a point on the Trend Line for 2022. The projected result for 2022 is $55,797,314. The budget approved by Council for 2022 has expenses of $55.3 million which is shown on the chart in figure 2 with a gold star. although this is slightly lower than that estimated by the Trend Line, it does give us a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the Trend Line established from the 2011 to 2020 data..