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County financial update: property‑tax collections steady; health‑insurance fund shows $2.7M shortfall
Summary
Finance staff reported county property‑tax collections are about 62% through March and state revenue/interest at roughly 50% of budget; the county’s health-insurance fund is about $2.7 million in deficit and 20 overbudget warnings were flagged for Q2.
Al Westerman presented the county’s second‑quarter fiscal report covering activity through March 31, 2026. He reported county‑wide property‑tax collections at about 62% of the annual budget and said the second tax‑collection cycle in June should bring collections close to the annual budget by the end of third quarter.
Westerman told commissioners that fund 14 (the county health‑insurance fund) has been drawn down and is “currently sitting at -2.7 million roughly,” reflecting that expenses exceeded revenues for the year. He also said state revenue sharing, state sales tax and interest receipts were each just over 50% of expected amounts for the period; liquor revenues were somewhat below the usual schedule because of payment timing.
The presentation included overbudget warnings: the sheriff’s patrol vehicle maintenance line was cited for approximately $5,000 in extra spending, and the sheriff’s maintenance and repairs category was about 69% spent for the operating period. In total, Westerman said there were 20 overbudget warnings in the quarter, 13 of which were related to capital purchases or new lease expenses.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions; Westerman indicated that overall the county is “doing as well” for the most part but highlighted the health‑insurance gap and the overbudget items as areas staff will continue to monitor.
Next steps: staff will monitor collections in the June tax cycle, continue to report on fund 14, and provide additional detail on overbudget items as requested by commissioners.
