County budget passes!
posted on: Monday, December 3, 2007
The 2008 county budget passes with flying colors!
When the dust cleared in February, it looked like we had over projected our revenue by close to 5 million dollars. Which meant we were 5 million in the red and projected expenditures were well over 100% of that revenue figure. However, by the end of 2007, we are projecting a carryover of approximately 2.6 million on the plus side. And we have made great strides toward getting back to budgeting within the mandated 90% of our revenue and the 2008 budget should be within 93%.
This is the result of the combined efforts of the county employees and department heads as well as the public officials all working together!
I am especially thankful to Comptroller Mike Hutchens and his staff for collecting and collating the budget information and putting it in a form that all could easily understand. Because of this, I was able to move the budget through committee and ready for full Quorum Court consideration a full month earlier to pass when it is normally done in late December.
Due to salary sweeps from the unfilled positions we were able to present a 3% bonus to the county employees for all the hard work they have done to pick up the slack and take on those additional duties from those positions.
This budget also includes a 3% coulter upgrade for the employees as well as a 2% across the board living increase. This again was due to the Employees and Department heads working together to keep their 2008 budgets under the 2007 levels and many cut their budgets by tens of thousands of dollars.
Public safety is the largest portion of the budget and the sheriff has done an outstanding job with keeping their costs down and housing on a daily basis many more prisoners than they had budgeted for. In 2008, we have budgeted for 800 beds with an option for 80 more beds upon the financial commitment of the cities to contribute as they did in 2007.
We are not out of the woods yet. We still have a long way to go. But, if we can do as well in 2008 as we did this year, we will be well on our way to a healthy financial position and gaining back the public trust.
Only because of EVERYONES cooperation and working together to hold the line on expenses were we able to come this far.
On the evening of November 27th I am proud to say that, with only 2 minutes of consideration, the 2008 budget was unanimously passed by the Full Quorum Court.
When the dust cleared in February, it looked like we had over projected our revenue by close to 5 million dollars. Which meant we were 5 million in the red and projected expenditures were well over 100% of that revenue figure. However, by the end of 2007, we are projecting a carryover of approximately 2.6 million on the plus side. And we have made great strides toward getting back to budgeting within the mandated 90% of our revenue and the 2008 budget should be within 93%.
This is the result of the combined efforts of the county employees and department heads as well as the public officials all working together!
I am especially thankful to Comptroller Mike Hutchens and his staff for collecting and collating the budget information and putting it in a form that all could easily understand. Because of this, I was able to move the budget through committee and ready for full Quorum Court consideration a full month earlier to pass when it is normally done in late December.
Due to salary sweeps from the unfilled positions we were able to present a 3% bonus to the county employees for all the hard work they have done to pick up the slack and take on those additional duties from those positions.
This budget also includes a 3% coulter upgrade for the employees as well as a 2% across the board living increase. This again was due to the Employees and Department heads working together to keep their 2008 budgets under the 2007 levels and many cut their budgets by tens of thousands of dollars.
Public safety is the largest portion of the budget and the sheriff has done an outstanding job with keeping their costs down and housing on a daily basis many more prisoners than they had budgeted for. In 2008, we have budgeted for 800 beds with an option for 80 more beds upon the financial commitment of the cities to contribute as they did in 2007.
We are not out of the woods yet. We still have a long way to go. But, if we can do as well in 2008 as we did this year, we will be well on our way to a healthy financial position and gaining back the public trust.
Only because of EVERYONES cooperation and working together to hold the line on expenses were we able to come this far.
On the evening of November 27th I am proud to say that, with only 2 minutes of consideration, the 2008 budget was unanimously passed by the Full Quorum Court.
posted by Vote Allen Kerr at
1:11 PM
