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County financial update: property taxes strong; jail medical shortfall of $1.15 million expected
Summary
At a May 13 status meeting, county finance staff presented unaudited second-quarter financials showing 61% of property tax collected, state revenue shares at about 49% as of March 31, improved investment losses, and a $1,153,274 jail medical contract shortfall that the sheriff's office will request from fund balance.
Kootenai County commissioners reviewed unaudited second-quarter financial statements May 13 and were told the county is on pace for property tax receipts but faces a large jail medical contract shortfall that county staff said the sheriff's office will ask the board to cover from fund balance.
"We're currently sitting at 61% of total property tax revenue collected," said Kyle Westerman, who presented the county's unaudited financials. Regarding state-shared revenue, Westerman said that as of March 31 the county had recorded about "49% of our budgeted revenue collected," and he later noted the county had since received additional payments by early May.
Westerman described the county's investment performance improving over the quarter: an investment loss of about $940,000 at the end of the first quarter had narrowed to a loss of about $234,000 by the time of his presentation.
The presentation flagged several departments running above typical midyear spending benchmarks. Westerman said liability insurance spending showed 95% of the budget expended (expected after two payments), parks operations were at about 62% of budget (driven by an operating lease payment), and maintenance operating spending was at 71% of budget in part because of expanded space costs. He said animal control and detective capital budgets had largely been spent because of vehicle purchases.
The largest concern discussed was jail medical and medication spending. A commissioner asked whether a line item existed to cover the overspend; Westerman said there was not and that he had spoken with the sheriff's office. "They need to come before the board and ask for $1,153,274 to make up the shortfall for the rest of this fiscal year for that contract," Westerman said. He added the sheriff's office did not have sufficient A or B budget savings and "they'll have to request fund balance," and that the sheriff's office was slated to appear at an upcoming business meeting to make that request.
Westerman also said the jail medication budget was at about 424% of what had been budgeted as of March 31, and that the county is tracking departments that exceed about 62% of year-to-date spending as a midyear signal.
No formal appropriation was recorded at the May 13 status meeting; staff said the sheriff's office will appear at an upcoming business meeting to request the fund-balance transfer to cover the shortfall.
