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Commission moves to reallocate fund balance: $400,000 to facilities, $100,000 to stabilization, $500,000 to CIP
Summary
After auditors reported a healthy general fund balance, county staff proposed moving roughly 4% of fund balance into strategic facilities, budget stabilization and capital improvement funds, and to cover a $230,000 Facilities Master Plan expense.
Van Buren County finance staff presented recommended transfers April 10 to make use of an above-policy general fund balance identified in the year-end audit and to fund near-term capital planning.
County finance director proposed three transfers from general fund balance: $400,000 to a newly created Strategic Facilities Fund for long-term building projects, $100,000 to the Budget Stabilization Fund to maintain a 5–20% policy range, and $500,000 to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) fund to support ongoing projects. Finance staff said the transfers are possible because audited fund balance exceeded policy thresholds and that the actions will be forwarded to the full Board of Commissioners with the required two-thirds roll-call votes.
The Facilities Master Plan, approved by the board in December, now requires $230,000 of funding that was not included in the original budget; staff proposed offsetting the cost from fund balance so the general fund budget remains balanced.
Why it matters: Commissioners cited a desire to seed long-term facility planning while preserving an operational safety cushion. County staff said the strategic facilities fund can only be used for long-term facility needs and that withdrawals from budget stabilization require a two-thirds roll-call vote.
Commissioners posed investment and oversight questions. Staff said strategic funds will be held in the county’s pooled cash and invested in safe, allowable instruments that earn interest rather than sitting in non-interest-bearing accounts.
The board approved forwarding the transfers and budget amendments to the April 22 Board of Commissioners meeting for final roll-call approval.
