Budgeting for 2015 and 2016 has been a bit of dance for the Port of Coupeville.

To balance its 2015 budget, the Port of Coupeville had to pull from its already dwindling reserves.

Both expenditures and revenue have exceeded port expectations in 2015.

Early projections budgeted roughly $541,000 in both revenue and expenditures to create a balanced budget.

The final 2015 budget pulls $250,000 from reserves, however the money pulled from reserves will be paid back, said outgoing Executive Director David Day.

Two big ticket projects, the fuel line replacement project and the wharf piling assessment, must be paid first by the port and then the county will reimburse the expenditures using rural development funds.

The 2015 budget also reflects the port having to pay $31,000 in repairs after a water pipe burst out on the wharf earlier this year. The majority of those expenses are being reimbursed by the port’s insurance company.

If bills come in for both the fuel line and assessment projects prior to the end of the year, the port estimates it will have about $120,000 in reserves starting in the new year.

“It’ll be tight until we get that (rural development) money back no matter what,” Day said.

The port usually keeps $100,000 in the reserves each year to meet expenditure obligations during the first quarter of the year. The taxing district does not receive its first tax revenue of the year until April.

“Something new is we do have some cash flow coming from the farm this year,” Day said.

While the port will now be collecting rent from farm tenants in addition to the wharf, it also doesn’t have to pay the former management group’s contract, which normally was $15,000 at the beginning of the year.

The 2016 budget anticipates about $87,000 in revenue from tenants at Greenbank Farm and about $36,000 from tenants at the wharf.

Commissioners did approve a 2015 budget revision, authorizing the use of reserves and did approve a 2016 budget.

While the 2016 budget is a working document, Day said he thinks it’s pretty accurate.

The new budget reflects the hiring of the new executive director position, filled by Forrest Rambo, budgeted between both the port and Greenbank Farm expenses.

There is also money budgeted for an event coordinator at the farm and one hourly full-time employee.

The port handyman position is also budgeted between the two locations.

“As tentative as that 2016 budget is, the beginning and ending numbers are pretty close to reality,” Day said.