Lake County manager outlines new line‑by‑line budget process, pushes for grant tracking and asset planning

Lake County Manager Candace Bridal on Sept. 23 asked the Board of County Commissioners to review a new line‑by‑line preliminary budget that uses positional payroll modeling and centralized grant and vendor tracking.

Bridal said the new process separates revenue and expenses and requires each department to document grants, multi‑year awards and the staff responsible for each award. “We budget for revenues and expenses separately,” Bridal told the board, describing a repeated request that grant lines include award amounts, match requirements and reimbursement details so grants do not disappear when a staff member leaves.

Why it matters: Commissioners were shown tools and policy changes intended to make county finances more transparent and auditable, reduce coding errors and reserve general‑fund capacity for obligations that are not revenue‑backed. Staff said a clearer capital and asset inventory will help the county plan multiyear repairs rather than relying on last‑minute contingency spending.

Key details - Grant and vendor tracking: Departments received a standardized worksheet and were asked to record each grant on its own tab; finance said the information is stored in Airtable and linked to Tyler where practical so a departing staffer won’t leave the county unaware of…