BOCC approves accounts payable and supplemental appropriations for tourism and airport gate improvements

Custer County’s Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 13 approved the day’s accounts payable and adopted two supplemental budget resolutions: a $53,200 appropriation to the tourism fund and a $55,560 appropriation to the airport capital improvements fund for fence and gate work.

Vernon Roth, the county’s director of finance, explained that the tourism fund money comes mostly from lodging taxes and is restricted for promoting tourism. "That comes basically from our lodging taxes... These are funds specifically designated by the taxpayers for this purpose," Roth said. The board approved Resolution 25-03 to appropriate $53,200 from the tourism fund balance to increase the tourism fund budget from $92,800 to $146,000; Roth said the money would be used for marketing and to support local agricultural co-ops and tourism-related business promotion.

The board also approved Resolution 25-04, a supplemental appropriation of $55,560 from the county’s capital improvement fund for airport fence and gate improvements. Roth said the airport board had secured a separate $55,000 state grant toward the project and the county appropriation would cover the local capital fund share and project needs.

Before the resolutions, the board approved accounts payable for the period in the amount of $291,794.11 after making a correction for a duplicated invoice. The motion to approve the AP listing passed by voice vote.

Votes at a glance - Accounts payable: approved, $291,794.11 (voice vote) - Resolution 25-03 (Tourism Fund appropriation): adopted, $53,200 from tourism fund balance to tourism fund 55 - Resolution 25-04 (Airport capital improvements): adopted, $55,560 from capital improvement fund for airport fences/gates

Ending Finance staff said changes and corrected invoices had been applied to the AP total; county staff will proceed with the tourism marketing and airport gate projects under the adopted appropriations.