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Budget committee approves departmental budgets and moves remaining ARPA funds into capital projects fund
Summary
The county Budget and Finance Committee approved most department budgets and trimmed several line items, and voted to transfer remaining ARPA funds into the capital projects (171) fund to reserve money for a potential sheriff radio tower; the committee did not approve the tower project itself.
The Budget and Finance Committee approved a slate of department budgets on Tuesday evening, adopting mostly status-quo proposals while trimming selected consultant, maintenance and supplies lines and flagging a planned use of fund balance.
Committee members voted to move the remaining ARPA balances into the county's 171 capital projects fund so money is available for future capital work. Chair said staff proposed moving $100,736 from Fund 127 and $504,469 from Fund 128 into Fund 171; the motion to reassign those ARPA balances passed with no recorded opposition. The committee emphasized the transfer did not constitute approval of any specific capital project.
Finance staff reported the proposed general fund (Fund 101) expenditures at about $11.17 million and said the budget would use about $1.6 million of fund balance to balance the year's spending. Amy, the finance staff member providing numbers to the committee, said, “So, we're using 1.6 million of our fund balance to fund this budget,” and commissioners cautioned that relying on fund balance is not sustainable.
The committee trimmed several lines across departments to reduce pressure on the bottom line. Examples included cutting a consultants line in the mayor's office from $20,000 to $15,000 and lowering election commission office-supplies and maintenance lines after members noted prior underspending. Most departmental budgets presented (circuit court, general sessions, chancery court, judicial commissioners, extension services, library, register of deeds, property assessor, trustees, county clerk and others) were approved, typically after staff described mandated salary and retirement increases and updated insurance numbers.
On insurance, committee members repeatedly noted that updated insurance totals would slightly change several budgets and asked staff to supply final figures before the commission's final vote. Chair said the full commission would still need to sign off on final insurance-related adjustments.
The committee agreed to consider school and public works budgets at a follow-up meeting next week. It adjourned after handling the remaining line items and the ARPA transfer motion.
