The cash-strapped NRoute public transportation system will receive $135,000 from the City of Vicksburg for 2012-13, about half of what its executive director requested.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen was expected to approve the city’s $28.89 million fiscal 2013 budget this afternoon, one day after the Warren County Board of Supervisors approved the county’s $14.8 million budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

“I talked with the mayor about several budget items last week,” city accountant Doug Whittington said, “and he said to put NRoute’s figure at what they received this year.”

NRoute had requested $264,063 from the city for the new fiscal year, which was $129,063 more than the $135,000 the system has been budgeted since Winfield took office.

“At this point, it would not be good to go ahead and expand that amount,” Winfield said. “This is a supplement, and we just have to weigh the benefits. In these economic times, we’re lucky to be able to offer it.”

The mayor on several occasions in June and July indicated he wanted to return NRoute, which is operated by a city-appointed board that directs a hired staff with Evelyn Bumpers as executive director, to the city’s umbrella. He said Monday he still favors that plan.

Throughout the second half of the fiscal year, the transit system has received city supplements totaling $30,895 to head off a projected $15,000 year-end deficit.

Warren County during the coming year will kick in $30,100 for NRoute, the same as last year.

Winfield had said in a public meeting last week he wanted to take a closer look at NRoute before deciding how much the system would get.

The city’s operating budget was expected to have been approved Monday, but the vote was delayed for a day to give Whittington more time to fine-tune it. Whittington said one reason for the delay was an increase in the city’s contribution to the Public Employees Retirement System, which was increased from 12.93 percent per employee to 15.75 percent per employee.

On Aug. 30, the city board introduced to the public the budget that includes no millage increases, layoffs or employee pay raises and a projected $574 fund balance.

On Sept. 1, the board approved 127 amendments to the fiscal 2012 budget, increasing it by $1.27 million, to $30.06 million, with a $226,078 fund balance. The amended 2012 budget is about $1.17 million more than the fiscal 2013 budget.