HELEN, Ga. — For the first month of the new fiscal year, things are looking pretty good in the City of Helen.

The monthly financial report presented by City Manager Jerry Elkins Tuesday showed that revenue was down slightly, but so were expenditures versus the same month last year. First month revenue fell from $220,554 in July 2015 to $211,323 last month, a dip of about 9.2 percent. Expenditures also declined from $164,790 to $161,706.

The city also showed increases in its collection of hotel/motel taxes and water/sewer fund. Last July the city collected $66,390 in hotel/motel taxes. This year Elkins reported collection reached $71,504. The water/sewer fund collection grew from $68,557 the prior year to $76,394 last month.

“Everything is looking pretty good,” said City Manager Jerry Elkins. “I don’t think we could do much better at this point.”

The monthly report by Alpine Helen/White County Convention & Visitors Bureau was also positive. A new platform for the website was purchased and 5,936 visitors stopped by the Welcome Center and another 69,162 logged onto the website, 54,141 were unique visitors.

The CVB is in the process of planning the first Spirit of Appalachia/Georgia Grown event which will be held sept. 17 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The City also approved the first reading of an amendment to the ordinance that allows the city to receive a commission for collection of the hotel/motel tax.