When the 2021 budget was approved last January, it was described in the Republican-Times as “ugly.” With a $1.1 million projected deficit, that seemed like a pretty accurate description of the county financial situation.
Even with that large projected deficit the three Grundy County commission-ers, Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray, First District Commissioner Don Sager and Second District Commissioner Brad Chumbley, took some comfort in knowing – or believing – that several big projects were going to be completed by the end of the year. That didn’t exactly pan out as two bridges that had been budgeted didn’t get constructed and the courthouse door project remains stalled since the hardware for the doors hasn’t arrived. That certainly helped the budget look better at the end of 2021, with the county seeing a surplus of $1,384,756.56. A huge portion of that money, over $950,000 came in the form of intergovernmental revenue that had not been anticipated through the American Rescue Plan Act. The county’s three sales taxes were projected to dump $1,425,000 into the county coffers but actually came in more than $160,650 higher than projected.
The 2022 budget doesn’t look any prettier than 2021. Overall, the county is going into 2022 with a $5,294,977.37 fund balance. The budget shows total anticipated revenue of $7,218,191 for a total of $12,513,168.37 in total funds available. On the expenditure side of the budget, total expenses are listed at $9,019,582, leaving a deficit of $1,801,391 and a projected ending balance on Dec. 31, 2022 of $3,493,586.37. That balance would be about $500,000 less than the county began with in 2021 but about $1.8 million less than it is starting with this year
The budget does include a $1 per hour across-the-board pay increase and additional adjustments to salaries for deputies and emergency responders in an effort to be comparable with surrounding counties. Deputies will see increases of just under 15 percent, making the starting salary $14.45 per hour. That would put the base at $30,056 plus another $1,200 annually in supplementary salary pay.
EMS employees will also receive additional increases from 7 to 9 percent, depending on rank. The starting salary for an EMT will be $12.30 per hour, with the starting salary for paramedics being set at $15.30 per hour.
The county’s employee health insurance will see a 2.97 percent increase.
Other big-ticket items in the budget include a 911 system upgrade, a new Type III ambulance and the spending of the ARPA funds. The Thompson River Bank Stabilization project, which will be “in and out” money will also be paid for out of this budget.
The projected ending balance for the General Revenue Fund is just over $1,600 and commissioners, who voted unanimously to approve the budget, said that is a concern. That fund, they said, has the least amount of flexibility and when sales tax is up, the county has to decrease the levy for personal property and real estate taxes.
Here’s a synopsis of the projects for the county’s main funds:
General Revenue
Carryover: $708,110.72
Revenues: $1,330,000
Available: $2,038,110.72
Expenditures: $2,036,495
EEB: $1,615.72
Major revenue sources in the General Fund include property tax, $276,700; sales tax, $500,000; intergovernmental revenues, $18,300; charges for services, $376,000; interest, $2,000; other sources, $109,000; and transfers in from other sources, which totals $48,000 ($24,000 each from road and bridge and the ambulance fund for administrative fees). Major expenditures from the fund include the majority of salaries and funds to operate the various county departments and courthouse expenses. They include county commission, $134,210; county clerk’s office, $118,420; elections, $63,600; buildings and grounds, $166,450; employee fringe benefits, $310,000; treasurer’s office, $103,620; circuit clerk’s office, $57,131; court administration, $38,222; public administrator’s office, $60,290; sheriff’s office, $427,145; prosecuting attorney’s office, $111,200; juvenile office, $64,107; county coroner, $30,350; emergency fund, $50,000; and other (Extension, insurance, dues, etc.), $84,550.
Road and Bridge
Carryover: $472,396.41
Revenues: $570,700
Available: $1,043,096.41
Expenditures: $863,600
EEB: $179,496.41
There were high hopes when the 2021 budget was approved that the department would add at least one if not two employees to the two already on staff, but that didn’t happen. The commission plans to keep the number at two (with salaries budgeted at $80,000) and use a portion of the money that would have been used to pay another employee to contract some services such as hauling gravel. The 2021 budget also included funds to construct two bridges, one located on N.E. 30th Street and the other on N.W. 60th Street. Neither of those bridges were built last year but are included in this year’s budget as is one on SW 86th Avenue. ARPA funds will be utilized. The commission had said last fall they wanted to “get ahead of the game” by having the engineering done for the bridges when the ARPA infrastructure money became available so they would be ready to get started. It is hoped that bids can be let on April 1.
On the income side, $65,000 is budgeted from property tax revenues, with $500,000 expected to come in from intergovernmental revenues in the form of CART rock funding.
On the expense side, the commission has budgeted just the $80,000 for salaries plus $35,000 for fringe benefits and overtime.
In looking at road and bridge materials, $100,000 is budgeted for rock for construction, $75,000 for tubes, $25,000 is budgeted for steel and another $40,000 is allocated for concrete. CART rock money to the townships will stay steady at $200,000, with the amount provided to each township based on the number of miles of roadway in the township. That number is determined by the state, not the county.
Ambulance Fund
Carryover: $2,119,772.44
Revenues: $1,469,275
Available: $3,589,047.44
Expenditures: $2,092,728
EEB: $1,496,319.44
There’s nothing really new on the revenue side of the Ambulance Department budget, with $950,000 budgeted to come from collections for services and $500,000 from sales tax revenue. On the expense side, employee wages total $400,000 but the line item for Other Pay (Director Pay) has been increased from $14,100 to $75,000 to reflect that the commission intends to hire a full-time director and the part-time director, Steve Tracy, is continuing in that position. The amount budgeted for overtime is $275,000, up from the actual amount of $196,100 in 2021. The ambulance fund will transfer $600,000 to the 911 Fund to help pay for 911 radio upgrades. A new ambulance is in the budget at a cost of $183,478. Fuel is listed at $50,000, a $10,000 increase over the amount budgeted in 2021, and pharmacy supplies are estimated at $12,000. The ambulance department pays $18,000 in rent to the City of Trenton for the building on 17th Street and while there has been some discussion of renegotiating that contract, the same contract remains in effect. As mentioned earlier, there is also a $24,000 transfer from the Ambulance Fund to General Revenue, which is the usual administrative fee paid by the ambulance fund.
Law Enforcement
Center Fund
Carryover: $166,799.97
Revenues: $796,150
Available: $962,949.97
Expenditures: $791,675
EEB: $171,274.97
This fund is used to operate the Grundy County Law Enforcement Center, as opposed to operating the sheriff’s department, which is included in General Revenue. A one-half cent sales tax is expected to generate around $500,000, with the remaining revenue coming from prisoner board bills, $50,000; extraditions, $10,000; city utility reimbursement, $10,000; and transporting prisoner fees, $6,000. A $210,000 transfer from General Revenue is also budgeted. Expenditures are listed at $307,500 for wages, insurance, FICA, etc., with another $294,000 budgeted to pay the principal and interest on the LEC. Including 2022, the county still has nine more years to pay on the building. Utilities will run around $53,275, with equipment coming in around $52,500 and prisoner room and board expenses are listed at $40,500.
Assessment Fund
Carryover: $93,941.26
Revenues: $203,825
Available: $297,766.26
Expenditures: $199,320
EEB: $98,446.26
The Assessment Fund gets the bulk of its revenues from intergovernmental revenues in the form of collector’s withholdings, $166,650 and state reimbursements, projected at $30,440. Expenditures include salaries and benefits, which are estimated at $143,020 and copier rent at $25,000. The budget for this office doesn’t change much from year to year except for salaries when increases are approved by the commission.
Those who would like to review a complete copy of the budget may do so in the county clerk’s office, located on the second floor of the courthouse.
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