Marion County Board Finance Committee Chris Krupp believes a number of questions about the budget can be resolved to allow for a vote on a tentative budget at Tuesday night’s full county board meeting.
The committee entered Thursday night’s meeting with a projected deficit of $543,000. After confirming a health insurance account that handles COBRA payments could be reduced by $140,000, they learned there was most likely a problem with a revenue estimate that increased the miscellaneous revenue account from the $20,000 they have received this year to a projected $570,000 next year.
Krupp is unsure if the number was entered in error or if numbers on their large budget spreadsheet may have shifted when other changes were made. He will be conferring with Bellwether, the company that helps prepare the yearly budget. If the number is a mistake, the county’s projected deficit would more than double to more than $1-million dollars.
Krupp reported they will be able to add another 1-percent to the 3.4-percent levy passed at the last meeting to capture new construction. He notes that change will not impact other taxpayers and will not require another vote on the levy.
The committee agreed they did not want to cut employees to cover whatever the deficit turns out to be. There was discussion of cutting back the $750,000 included for contingencies or utilizing the federal CARES money that has been a rainy-day fund for the past five years. The $507,000 has no restriction on how it can be used.
If the tentative budget is approved at Tuesday’s meeting, it would have to lay over for public review for 15 days before final action can be taken. That will be after the board reorganizes following the November election, which means the newly seated Marion County Board will have to give final approval.
Even if the board isn’t able to give final approval to the budget prior to the first payroll of the new fiscal year on December 13th, the committee was told federal law would require employees would still be paid.
