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Dodge County adopts 2019 budget after public hearing; earlier 2018 budget and grant matches also approved
Summary
After a public budget hearing and months of line-item discussions — including Farmers Market requests, insurance cost increases and LMIG matches — the Dodge County Board of Commissioners adopted the 2019 budget in a Dec. 31 called meeting and pursued several road and grant matches during 2018.
Dodge County commissioners adopted the fiscal 2019 budget at a Dec. 31, 2018 called meeting after a year of hearings, a public budget hearing and multiple agenda items affecting revenues and expenditures.
Earlier in January a public budget hearing on Jan. 3 included a request from the Dodge County Farmers Market for $3,035. The board discussed using contingency funds but a motion to fund that specific amount died for lack of a second; the 2018 proposed budget was approved at that hearing. Over the year the board also approved SPLOST-supported capital items and grant matches tied to public-safety and road projects.
Key recurring budget drivers discussed during 2018 included employee health insurance renewals, which consultants told commissioners could increase by nearly 19 percent under the county’s then-current plan. The board convened a review committee and approved switching to a Blue Cross Blue Shield gap plan with a higher deductible and a $500 refund incentive for employees who meet the deductible, an action intended to reduce the county’s cost exposure.
The board obtained outside financing and grant support for capital projects: it accepted a low bid for a two-million-dollar operating line-of-credit solicitation and authorized acceptance of an $830,000 LMIG award for 2019 resurfacing projects (the board approved the program list and the required local match). The board also approved local matches for several public-safety grants, including an AFG match for the Milan Volunteer Fire Department and a county contribution toward a trauma-commission grant for EMS equipment.
On Dec. 31 the commissioners met in a special called meeting and voted to approve and adopt the 2019 budget as presented. The budget and related grant matches authorized during 2018 will govern county operations and capital projects in the coming year; managers were directed to return with any budget adjustments should grant awards or revenues change.
