Commissioners hear school $1.8M grant and county budget amendments; items sent to commission for approval

Speaker 2, identified in the meeting as a county finance staff member, presented the monthly financial statement and several proposed budget amendments.

On revenue, Speaker 2 reported that property-tax collections were about $73,000 below the same period last year, sales-tax receipts were about $42,000 below last year’s period, clerk and master collections were roughly $2,100 ahead, and the county’s first quarterly mineral severance payment put that line about $20,000 ahead of the same time last year. Speaker 2 said expenditures that exceeded averages were highlighted in the packet and might require budget amendments.

On schools, Speaker 2 said, “There’s an ISM grant of 1,800,000.” The speaker also said the county planned to move roughly $1,000,000 from fund balance back into the schools’ budget to restore money for vestibules that had not been used in the prior year. Speaker 2 provided a page-by-page description of what went into the schools’ accounts and said the school board had approved the amendment.

For county budget amendments, Speaker 2 described an array of items to be added to the general fund and other accounts: a state archives grant, a mental-health grant, donations primarily to animal control, a hazmat contribution from the city, refunds and reimbursements (including a public-works refund on the salmon-colored page), and a department transfer for capital projects. Speaker 2 characterized some entries as transferring money into the proper accounts.

Speaker 4 moved to send the school and county budget amendments to the commission for approval; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The items will be considered by the commission at its next meeting. The transcript does not list individual vote tallies.

Speaker 2’s figures and the amendments were presented for referral; final approval and appropriation will occur at the commission meeting.