Lincoln County budget review flags road fund carryover and wage-driven increases

Committee member and county staff reviewed preliminary departmental budget packets in a short session, noting an apparent carryover of funds in the road fund and several line-item questions.

The Committee member opened the discussion by pointing out, "We got a lot of money in your road fund," and asked staff why those amounts were appearing as they did. Staff member said recent numbers from Dallas had been received and would be input, and explained that some items can "carry over for x amount of years until they can clear it off."

The meeting focused on clarifying which expenses belong to which office; Staff member clarified that district court and psychiatric exam costs are handled by the county attorney's office, not the present office. The packet initially appeared to be missing a page, but the group located it as a double-sided sheet on the back of the packet.

Committee member and Staff member reviewed specific budget drivers. Committee member noted overall increases driven by insurance and wages, stating the wages component "went up 8.8%." Staff member said a prior $11,000 supplies line reflected a new printer purchase and that she had removed that one-time cost, replacing it with a $6,500 estimate for the coming year. Staff member also noted the jury fund is budgeted at $50,000 and reimbursed by the state, returning reimbursements to the general fund.

Staffing for the office was discussed: Staff member said she has three full-time and one part-time employees, plus a 16-hour worker; she added that "Miranda will be off for maternity ... in July, August" and she plans to use the 16-hour employee to cover some duties. Committee member confirmed that arrangement as an internal fallback.

On raises and revenue assumptions, Committee member described the usual approach: elected officials' wages are set in a way that influences the sheriff's deputies' pay, and the broader raise percentages are then derived from that. The member cautioned the group that mill values and state legislative activity still make property tax revenue uncertain. The Committee member also recalled last year's shortfall, saying, "It was 2,800,000.0 in the hole," and said staff worked through adjustments to resolve the deficit.

The discussion concluded with no formal votes or motions recorded; Committee member moved the meeting on to note that the county attorney was scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m. and that the next agenda item would follow. The packet cleanup and the staff coverage plan for maternity leave were left for staff follow-up.