Whitfield County reports revenue uptick, continues work on 2022 budget and ARPA outreach

At its Nov. 8 meeting the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners heard a financial update showing revenue gains and discussed next steps in the 2022 budget process.

Finance Director James Garvin told the board that September Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) collections were $1,070,140, about 4.75% above budgeted expectations, and that year-to-date LOST collections of $9,495,742 are 5.25% higher than the prior year. TAVT receipts for September were $437,528, with year-to-date TAVT at $4,020,949 — about 19% higher than the same period last year. Garvin reported year-to-date actual revenues of $23,247,441 exceeded projected revenues by $674,477 (3%), while year-to-date expenditures of $36,416,975 were $1,137,967 (3%) less than projected.

County Administrator Robert Sivick said the board has held five budget work sessions with department heads and that a draft 2022 budget will be prepared soon. Sivick said the county is developing multiple avenues to solicit public input on American Rescue Plan Act spending, including direct outreach and offering county staff expertise to local governments.

Why it matters: Higher-than-projected revenue collections provide more flexibility for county budget planning, though the board still must balance capital needs and operating costs. The board indicated it will hold a public hearing on the 2022 budget prior to adoption.

What’s next: The board will finalize a draft 2022 budget and hold a public hearing before adopting the budget; the transcript records that a public hearing on the 2022 budget will be scheduled prior to adoption.