Coffey County commissioners approve year-end transfers to multiple reserve funds

Coffey County commissioners voted to approve a series of year-end fund transfers intended to protect the county's required cash carryover and shore up several reserve accounts.

During the meeting, county finance staff member Amy presented a working spreadsheet showing the county's cash balances and proposed transfers. Amy said the county's required cash carryover rose to about $6,000,000 after the payoff of a bond obligation of roughly $500,000 and that the working spreadsheet showed about $1,400,000 in available cash to cover 13th-month bills and additional December payroll costs.

The transfers approved by the commission moved money into the following funds: the Coffey County Technology Office reserve, the Capital Improvement Reserve Fund, the Equipment Reserve Fund, the GIS fund, the Community Improvement Reserve Fund, the Special Highway Improvement Fund, the Risk Management Reserve Fund and the Mental Wellness Fund. Commissioners moved and seconded each resolution in sequence; for each item the commission called for a voice vote and commissioners present responded “aye.”

Amy said she reduced the capital outlay allocation from about $1.1 million to $830,000 to increase the cash carryover cushion while noting that the county generally aims to have about $1 million annually set aside for a radio replacement program. She told commissioners she had estimated the sheriff's office could require roughly $575,000 for additional payroll and that she proposed leaving at least about $700,000 available in the general fund to cover the sheriff's thirteenth-month payroll and other possible year-end expenses.

Finance staff also recommended placing funds into the risk management reserve after the county's previous insurer went bankrupt earlier in the year. Amy said the new insurer was “playing catch up” and the county was receiving a backlog of claims; placing the money in reserve would allow the commission to access it if large claims arrive.

Other budget notes discussed during the presentation included pausing further contributions to the solid-waste closure-care fund (Amy said the county was almost halfway to the estimated closure cost), and that an improving Wolf Creek evaluation could increase county revenues in the future.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution No. 633-Y — Transfer to Coffey County Technology Office reserve fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 730-Q — Transfer to Coffey County Capital Improvement Reserve Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 731-T — Transfer to Coffey County Equipment Reserve Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 732-Q (referred in audio as 7732-Q then clarified) — Transfer to Coffey County GIS fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 744-Q — Transfer to Coffey County Community Improvement Reserve Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 767-P — Transfer to Coffey County Special Highway Improvement Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 816-H — Transfer to the Risk Management Reserve Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye). - Resolution No. 943 — Transfer to the Coffey County Mental Wellness Fund. Moved and seconded; approved by voice vote (aye).

The meeting closed with routine scheduling notes: staff said a swearing-in could be handled at 9:05 a.m. on the 13th by a visiting judge because the regular judge's schedule was tight, and staff reminded commissioners of office closures for New Year's Day. The commissioners adjourned after completing the year-end transfer resolutions.

All direct quotations in this report are taken from the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speaker named in the transcript.