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Gallatin County fiscal court approves budgets, design for state-funded airport terminal and designates ARPA funds for payroll
Summary
The court approved the sheriff and clerk budgets, set salary maximums, designated $880,879.72 in ARPA funds for payroll expenses, accepted a $2 million state-funded airport terminal design, and tabled a Nucor bond request pending documentation.
Gallatin County’s fiscal court approved several budget and administrative measures at its Dec. 12, 2024 meeting, including department budgets, ARPA fund designations and state-funded airport projects.
The court approved the sheriff’s 2025 budget and set the maximum salary allocation for deputies and assistants at $874,341.67. The county clerk’s office budget for 2025 and a salary maximum of $175,000 were also approved. Members voted to apply a 3.4% Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase for employees effective Jan. 1, citing revenues that staff said were ahead of projections.
On federal recovery funds, the court adopted a resolution authorizing the expenditure or designation of $880,879.72 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to cover county payroll expenses incurred between March 3, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2024; staff said designating the allocation in this manner satisfies U.S. Treasury reporting requirements and allows actual spending through Dec. 31, 2026. County discussion included questions about previously earmarked special-project money (e.g., playground projects in Warsaw and Glencoe) and staff clarified some funds have been set aside and some were unspent; the resolution was approved as presented.
Dwayne Rasman, chairman of the Gallatin County Airport board, presented four state-funded projects and asked the court to approve the terminal design so architectural work can proceed. The package includes a 5,500-square-foot terminal design estimated at roughly $2,000,000, two 12,000-gallon fuel tanks, T-hangars and a weather/beacon system. Rasman and airport board members said they are negotiating with prospective fixed-base operators (FBOs) and will bring a letter of intent and operator input to the court when ready. Court members pressed for operator input to avoid committing to designs that could hamper operations; the court voted to accept the design packet and send it to the architect.
Other formal actions: the court approved a budget transfer for November totaling $3,325, authorized interfund transfers from general fund accounts (including $65,000 to the jail and transfers to ambulance and 911 accounts), approved budget amendment No. 4 to record a roughly $684,000 CDBG federal grant, and amendment No. 5 for a Safe Routes to School grant (discussed as $40,000 in one tranche and noted by members that the total award language on a press release reflected a higher figure). A proposed Nucor bond item was tabled pending documentation from company counsel. The court also recognized a local family farm for more than 100 years of family stewardship and received public comment from the Family Resource Center about services to more than 330 children.
