Coffee County meeting approves budget submission after adding funds for communications equipment

At a Coffee County meeting, officials voted to approve submission of the annual budget with an amendment that increases the allocation for communications equipment after discussion about aging radios and vehicle maintenance.

Maryann, who presented the quarterly financial report, said the adjusted collection rate is up from this time last year and that monthly write-offs and year-to-date figures are within normal ranges. She reported that accounts receivable typically total about $800,000 because of billing lag and that the actual cash balance at the end of February was nearly $22,000,000.

“The adjusted collection rate actually is up from last year at this time,” Maryann said, and she later noted the month’s billed charges totaled $320,004.55.

Director Bonner outlined operational details that informed the budget discussion, saying the service ran about 808 responses for the month (down in part because February is a short month) and that an aging fleet is driving high maintenance costs. “We are already at 90 something percent of this year’s budget on vehicle maintenance,” Bonner said, adding that injector pumps and a transmission failure are examples of recent repair needs. He said he will request a remount in the budget but expressed reservations about chassis availability.

Board members also discussed communications equipment, including radios and accessories. One member recommended planning for multiple APX radios and estimated roughly $6,500 per unit; members suggested budgeting enough to cover batteries and antennas. During the meeting the chair stated the communications line would be raised to “9” in the budget; the transcript and meeting materials did not specify the unit (e.g., number of radios, thousands of dollars) for that figure.

On motions recorded in the meeting, members approved routine items including the prior meeting minutes and a write-off of $6,020.32 from budget and finance. The chair then moved to submit the annual budget with the communications amendment; the motion was seconded and carried after members answered “aye.”

Members agreed there will be no interim meeting before the next regular session unless additional budget matters arise, and the chair called for adjournment.

Votes at a glance - Approval of prior meeting minutes: motion moved and seconded; chair called the motion approved. - Approval of write-offs (bad debts): $6,020.32; motion moved and seconded; approved. - Approval to submit the annual budget as amended (communications line raised to “9”): motion moved by the chair, seconded, and approved. - Motion to adjourn: approved.

What to watch next The board noted an upcoming annual report deadline and coordination between staff is required; members will also monitor insurance recoveries (a $19,253 recovery was mentioned) and the vehicle maintenance line as the year progresses.