Budget Crisis Looms as Revenue Drops 40 Percent

In a recent government meeting, officials discussed the fiscal year 2025 budget, highlighting a significant capital expenditure of $7,500 earmarked for relocation needs to the Bennett administrative center. The budget also includes a capital and technology appropriation of $75,909, which is part of a five-year capital and technology plan. This allocation is a key factor in the department's expenditures exceeding its revenues.

Additionally, the meeting addressed the management of ortho imagery funds, which are collected annually but deferred until their expenditure in 2026. These funds are not included in the current fund balance calculations.

The discussion also covered the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) fund, which finances the county's membership dues to the GIS consortium and the Esri software. The primary revenue source for this fund comes from fees collected by the recorder's office on filed documents. However, a significant decline in document filings has led to a 40% drop in revenue since 2021, resulting in a reduced fund balance.

To counteract this trend, the proposed budget includes an increase in fees from $15 to $25, based on a recent fee study. Without this increase, projected revenue would fall to $210,000, further diminishing the fund balance to $150,000. Officials plan to bring this fee increase proposal to the board for consideration in the coming month.