[NOV. 23, 2005] The county finally has a budget in place for
the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The process of keeping the budget in the
black by the end of the year took the finance committee and the
board a couple of extra meetings. With departments already pared
down and costs still rising faster than revenues, the county had to
look at where to either make cuts that would affect services or gain
more revenue.
It was finally determined
that it would be best to sell some long-held farm property. The
income would help fill the gap until new public safety sales taxes
and new businesses sales and property tax revenues kick in, in the
future.
The following tax levies were
independently approved:
General Fund -- $923,538
Ambulance Service Fund -- $151,000
Liability Insurance Fund -- $144,000
Tuberculosis Sanitarium Fund -- $1,000
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and Social Security Fund
-- $696,577
Logan County Health Department -- $371,231
County Highway Fund -- $339,530
County Bridge Fund -- $1,000
Highway Matching Tax Fund -- $1,000
Cooperative Extension Service Fund -- $98,000
Senior Citizens Fund -- $80,000
The $1,000 levied funds above have been temporarily reduced from
their normal amounts in order to keep them open. They each have
reserves.
Not everyone approved the allocations, but each passed.
The following votes against were
cast:
Tuberculosis Sanitarium Fund -- Dick Logan, John Stewart and
Patrick O'Neill
County Bridge Fund -- Logan
Highway Matching Tax Fund -- Rick Aylesworth, Logan,
O'Neill, Stewart
Stewart questioned if there were enough funds in the highway
matching fund. He noted that work that had been scheduled for
Elkhart did not get done this year. He also questioned if this is
the fund that the Fifth Street Road project would use.
The fund is used to match federal dollars on special road
projects.
Dale Voyles explained to him that that work didn't get done, due
to a right-of-way dispute. The funds have been and are still there
for that, and it is expected to be done next year.
The Fifth Street Road project federal dollars that come through
the state have still not been released. It is unknown how much will
actually reach us in that matching grant program, but funds are in
reserve for that as well.
The board tentatively approved the budget on Oct. 18, and then it
went up as required for a 30-day public display. The regularly
scheduled meeting on Nov. 15 was not yet 30 days later. So the board
adjourned to meet on Nov. 22 in order to get the budget approved by
the new fiscal year beginning on Dec. 1.
