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Columbia County schools report April fund balance decline; tax collections tick up
Summary
Finance director Lindsay Laxton told the board the district's unassigned fund balance was 4.48% in April 2025, down from 5.37% a year earlier; tax collections rose slightly and energy costs showed small variances.
Columbia County School District's unassigned fund balance stood at 4.48% as of April 2025, down from 5.37% a year earlier, finance director Lindsay Laxton reported at the May 20, 2025 board meeting.
Laxton told trustees the decline was "pretty much driven by the raises that we've given this year" and said final month‑end figures would provide a fuller picture. She said tax collections were 89.8% compared with 88.43% the previous year, an increase of about 0.75 percentage points.
Laxton reported the district's rolling 12‑month sales tax collections totaled $7,600,000, with $7,030,000 remaining in the district to spend. She said electricity expenses were favorable to prior year by approximately $52,000 (about 3%), while diesel costs were down roughly $13,000 (about 2.7%).
A board member asked Laxton to repeat the electricity figure; she confirmed the $52,000 savings and attributed the change to operational factors. Laxton closed by saying those figures were "just roughly" estimates to give trustees an idea ahead of final accounting for the year.
No formal action was taken on the financial report during the meeting.
