Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves courthouse budget amendment, creates two RID funds and sets FY26 school mill levies
Summary
The commission approved an $850,000 courthouse construction fund amendment to cover a 10% retainage invoice, created separate funds for two rural-improvement-district schedules to simplify accounting, and adopted FY26 school mill levies as presented by the county superintendent.
Gallatin County commissioners on Sept. 9 approved several financial and administrative measures including a courthouse construction fund budget amendment, creation of two funds to separate rural improvement district (RID) schedules, and adoption of FY26 school mill levies.
Justine Swanson, the county chief financial officer, explained that a previously unprocessed 10% retainage invoice for the courts building had been discovered and that staff recommended increasing the FY26 courthouse construction fund by $850,000 to cover retainage and furniture-and-fixture extras. "This isn't going over the original budget that was in there," Swanson said, explaining the change reflects an invoice staff believed had been paid but was outstanding.
Swanson also recommended creating separate funds to avoid manual spreadsheets that track multiple RID schedules in a single fund. She said staff would create fund 2695 for Ouzell Falls Schedule 3 and fund 2697 for Firelight Phase 1 (roads) so revenues and expenses for the differing schedules can be tracked independently; commissioners approved both resolutions.
John Nielsen, Gallatin County superintendent of schools, presented the FY26 mill-levy resolutions and supporting schedules and thanked county staff for work that helped put several school accounts in positive positions at the start of the fiscal year. Commissioners moved and approved Resolution Nos. 2025-080 (courthouse amendment), 2025-081 (fund 2695), 2025-082 (fund 2697), and 2025-083 (school mill levies) as read into the record.
The meeting record shows the motions were moved and seconded and that commissioners voiced their approval; the transcript records audible ayes and recorded the items as approved, though the audio did not include a complete roll-call tally for each vote in the meeting transcript.
