Webster County conservation director seeks reimbursement as department proposes under-1% budget increase

Matt Cosgrove, Webster County conservation director, told the county board on Jan. 27 that the department’s proposed fiscal-year budget would rise by less than 1%, roughly $17,000, and asked supervisors to note several grant- and trust-fund items that affect the county’s cash position.

Cosgrove said the department is projecting about $1.3 million in general-fund expenditures, with roughly 70% of that spent on staff and benefits. "We've got about, less than a 1% change that we're looking at, in our general and rural basic funds," he said, describing 12 line-item adjustments overall.

The presentation emphasized how several special funds and grants reduce direct county expense. Two positions at the county OHV park are reimbursed "at 100% from the grant program," Cosgrove said, and the Growth Alliance manages those quarterly reimbursements. He also said the state OHV registration fund has grown since OHV legalization and that the county typically receives about $200,000 annually from that competitive…