Overview
Watertown's audited FY 2024-25 General Fund closed with revenues of $61,501,295 against expenditures of $56,388,063, an excess of $5,113,232, and — after $1,818,497 of net other financing uses — a net fund-balance increase of $3,294,735, to an ending General Fund balance of $29,904,588 (unassigned: $16,924,695, about 29% of General Fund expenditures and other financing uses). Nonproperty taxes ($26,047,116) are by far the largest General Fund revenue; public safety ($23,970,608) is the largest expenditure. All governmental funds combined ended the year at $31,521,647, up $1,904,594 as restated.
Source: City of Watertown Financial Statements, June 30, 2025 (audit report).
At a glance — audited actuals, year ended June 30, 2025
Source: City of Watertown Financial Statements, June 30, 2025.
Headline budget
General Fund change in fund balance, year ended June 30, 2025 (exact).
| Total revenues | $61,501,295 |
| Total expenditures | $56,388,063 |
| Excess of revenues over expenditures | $5,113,232 |
| Total other financing sources (uses), net | ($1,818,497) |
| Net change in fund balance | $3,294,735 |
| Fund balance, beginning of year, as restated | $26,609,853 |
| Net change in fund balance | $3,294,735 |
| Fund balance, end of year | $29,904,588 |
Budget comparison (General Fund, budgetary comparison schedule): original-budget resources of $58,523,519 and final-budget resources of $58,515,655 against actual amounts available for appropriation of $61,718,841; total charges to appropriations actual of $58,424,106 (expenditures $56,388,063 plus transfers to other funds of $2,036,043) against a final budget of $63,140,393.
Source: City of Watertown Financial Statements, June 30, 2025, pp. 29 and 91.
Breakdown
General Fund revenues, FY 2024-25 actual (sums exactly to $61,501,295).
| Nonproperty taxes | $26,047,116 |
| Real property taxes | $10,381,989 |
| State sources | $6,323,337 |
| Federal sources | $1,876,250 |
| Miscellaneous local sources | $1,641,614 |
| Departmental income | $1,493,749 |
| Fines and forfeitures | $617,617 |
| Intergovernmental charges | $390,775 |
| Real property tax items | $282,740 |
| Licenses and permits | $209,835 |
| Use of money and property | $74,427 |
| All other revenues (two lines combined; see basis notice) | $12,161,846 |
| Total revenues | $61,501,295 |
General Fund expenditures, FY 2024-25 actual (sums exactly to $56,388,063).
| Public safety | $23,970,608 |
| Employee benefits | $11,692,357 |
| Home and community services | $7,110,808 |
| General government support | $6,038,654 |
| Culture and recreation | $3,797,151 |
| Debt service | $2,212,978 |
| Transportation | $1,565,507 |
| Total expenditures | $56,388,063 |
Enterprise funds, FY 2024-25 actual: Water Fund operating revenues $6,556,869 and Sewer Fund operating revenues $8,110,131 (combined $14,667,000); net position at year-end: Water $22,965,693, Sewer $23,768,195 (combined $46,733,888). The Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library is a discretely presented component unit and is not included in the city totals above.
Source: City of Watertown Financial Statements, June 30, 2025, pp. 29, 32-33.
Elected officials
The cited audit is addressed to senior management, the Mayor, and the City Council but does not name office-holders in the pages used here, so no roster is shown. Under the city charter, the City Council (the Mayor and four Councilpersons) is the governing body, the City Manager serves as chief executive officer, and the City Comptroller serves as chief fiscal officer.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: City of Watertown, Financial Statements, June 30, 2025 (audited). Audit report FY 2024-25.
- Sum checks: revenues exact ($61,501,295); expenditures exact ($56,388,063); excess less other financing uses exact ($3,294,735); fund-balance rollforward exact ($29,904,588); budgetary amounts-available identity exact ($61,501,295 + $217,546 interfund revenue = $61,718,841).
- What is not claimed: no FY 2025-26 adopted budget figure is shown (not retrieved as an official document); no FY 2026-27 figure is shown (adoption unconfirmed); no office-holder names are shown (the audit does not name them in the pages used).
- Jurisdiction palette: No verified New York jurisdiction palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a jurisdiction color.