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Ohio County adopts budget after debate over reassessment levy and 911 funding
Summary
County commissioners approved the submitted budget after discussing a reassessment levy, maintaining a 25% cash operating balance, and pressures on 911/PSAP and riverboat-dependent revenues. The motion passed by voice vote; individual tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
Ohio County commissioners approved the county’s budget after a lengthy review of reassessment levies, reserve targets and pressures on 911 and PSAP funding.
Speaker 3 moved 'to accept the budget as submitted' and Speaker 5 seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote. The transcript records at least one 'Aye' but does not include a roll-call tally.
The discussion leading to adoption centered on a previously cited figure of $186,000. Speaker 1 asked, 'where is this 186,000?' and participants worked through worksheet figures. Speaker 2 said the worksheet shows $701,452 in new money (line 8B) while the county was budgeting $646,000, leaving roughly a $350,000 cash operating balance 'which is more than half of the budget or right at half,' as Speaker 2 summarized. Commissioners discussed keeping a reserve target of about 25% of the general fund to cover the start of the year and unforeseen events.
Members debated options for drawing down reassessment funds slowly rather than eliminating the reassessment levy in one year, a change Speaker 2 warned would shift costs into County General or the health fund. Speaker 3 noted recent shifts of sheriff-related costs from County General into public safety accounts and said PSAP/911 and dispatch-center costs need monitoring.
Speakers flagged revenue risks that could affect future budgets: a $65,000 increase in circuit-breaker losses was mentioned, and riverboat revenue previously treated as general revenue was described as an uncertainty to watch. The 911 statewide fund was described as budgeted at $119,000 while anticipated receipts were about $115,000, creating pressure that may require transfers from Public Safety or County General.
Commissioners discussed adopting a conservatively high advertised rate using 85% of current assessed values to preserve flexibility and allow departments to receive levies; the certified rate will be recalculated later using full assessed values. Examples mentioned in the discussion included an advertised General Fund rate near 0.39 and a refactor rate near 0.3377.
The board approved the budget by voice vote and moved on to other items. The meeting transcript does not record a full roll-call or itemized vote tally for the budget motion.
