Static Budget versus Flexible Budget The production supervisor of the Machining Department for Niland Company agreed to the following monthly static budget for the upcoming year: Niland Company Machining Department Monthly Production Budget Wages Utilities $370,000 23,000 Depreciation Total 39,000 $432,000 The actual amount spent and the actual units produced in the first three months in the Machining Department were as follows: Amount Spent Units Produced January $407,000 February 391,000 March 106,000 97,000 87,000 372,000 The Machining Department supervisor has been very pleased with this performance because actual expenditures for January-March have been less than the monthly static budget of $432,000. However, the plant manager believes that the budget should not remain fixed for every month but should "flex" or adjust to the volume of work that is produced in the Machining Department. Additional budget information for the Machining Department is as follows: Wages per hour $16.00 Utility cost per direct labor hour $1.00 Direct labor hours per unit 0.20 Planned monthly unit production 116,000