Members of the Texas County Commission adopted a more than $3 million budget that shows no growth in revenue and looks for fewer expenditures thanks to little election activity.
The spending blueprint is outlined in a 21-page document that will guide the county until 2010.
Commissioners Don Shelhammer, John Casey and Linda Garrett completed work on the budget, which calls for slightly less spending than 2008. County Clerk Don Troutman said fewer election costs allowed the county to whittle on its budget, which calls for no salary increases other than those mandated for law. Its general fund finished last year with a surplus of $616 over expenditures. The beginning balance in the fund at the start of 2009 was $244,276, about what it takes to cover expenses for one month. It takes $255,480 to pay the bills monthly.
Most of the bills for county government are paid through three half-cent sales taxes collected by merchants. The budget forecasts flat collections in the upcoming year totaling about $2.8 million. Residents pay no property tax to the county. When tax bills arrive in the fall, property owners pay taxes to one of 17 townships for maintenance of roads and operations. About $928,000 will flow to townships for road maintenance through state gas taxes and other fees.
The budget includes 40 different funds needed to operate county government – ranging from law enforcement to tax collection. Law enforcement takes the lion’s share of the expenditures. The cost of an expanded jail operation totals $986,005. Funding the sheriff’s department is estimated at $389,127.