County approves $17.9M budget

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The Board of Weston County Commissioners approved a $17,996,517.11 budget earlier this month that includes adding more funds to reserve accounts, as well as providing for the general operations of the county. 
“Weston County does a good job of keeping level; we don’t get too crazy when budgeting,” Chairman Marty Ertman told the News Letter Journal. 
When preparing budget for fiscal year 2022, she said, the commission erred on the conservative side, anticipating decreases in funding. These decreases did not occur, with the county valuation being up over $3 million, totaling $1,446,841,062. 
“When we discovered the valuation was higher, we tucked some money away for capital improvements in a new line item,” Ertman explained. 
This capital improvements line item is $400,000 for the fiscal year, which began July 1. Other reserve accounts include a cash reserve of $3,371,976.47, a depreciation reserve totaling $628,979.11, a county road reserve of $3,375,702.78 and a fuel reserve of $102,290.06.
According to the budget details, the inclusion of these five reserve accounts in the publication makes the county’s budget appear larger than in prior years. Last year’s budget, including reserve accounts, was $17,516,591.12. 
While the reserves are a significant amount, Ertman said the goal is to have two years of county operations in reserves. 
“We are getting closer to that idea, to be able to sustain ourselves without money coming in,” she said, noting that the county could operate for less than a year with current reserve funds. 
In addition to reserve funding and general county operations, included in the general fund requirements, the budget includes block grants for the Weston County Fairgrounds, in the amount of $117,485.28; the Weston County libraries in the amount of $319,000; and prevention management, which is fully reimbursed by the state, in the amount of $105,000. 
Within the general fund, the largest line items are for the Weston County Sheriff’s Office, totaling $553,500; the law enforcement complex at $578,649; the road and bridge budget at $1,250,130.88; and the county road funds projects totaling $526,802.
Line items in the general fund remained very similar to operating costs in the previous year, with a majority remaining identical or decreasing. The largest decrease was seen in the largest line item, road and bridge, with a $109,449.97 decrease from fiscal 2021, while the largest increase was in the county road fund with an increase of $227,658.21. 
Besides the reserve accounts and the addition of the federal American Rescue Plan monies in the amount of $674,000, the district court will get an additional $74,000 fiscal 2022. 
“It (the district court budget) increased to allow for the influx of court-appointed attorney requests,” said Tina Cote, Weston County clerk of court. “When the court appoints an attorney for an individual, the county is responsible to provide for the service and absorb the cost. In some cases, but not all, the court may order the individual to pay it back until the case is closed, which in turn allows the county to recoup the money spent.” 
According to Ertman, the increase was made in the hopes of avoiding a budget hearing during the fiscal year. She noted that two such hearings were necessary in fiscal 2021 to add funds to the district court for an increase in lawyer fees. 
Another substantial addition to the budget is the $672,744.50 received from the American Rescue Plan, a federal stimulus package related to COVID-19. While the county has no intention of spending the funds at this time, Ertman said, the total was included in the budget. 
“It is better for us (the board of county commissioners) to have that open and clear that we did receive it and it is in our budget. The idea is not to spend it until we know the rules,” Ertman said. 
In addition to the major county departments, the county has several other accounts in the budget totaling $2,713,850. 
The largest expenditures in those accounts are $740,000 for health insurance, up $80,000 from last year; $424,000 for retirement; and $400,000 for building and ground major repairs. 
The county also includes a breakdown of additional 1% sales tax projects that are funded through the county. The total allocated for these projects for fiscal 2022 is $293,120.20, down from $305,620.20. 
These include funding provided to FOCUS, the humane society, both local chambers, ambulance services, the Upton landfill, courthouse security and several other entities. The largest expenditures in this area include GIS land records at $22,800, courthouse security at $26,000, Mallo Camp at $35,160.20, capital projects at $30,000, Upton Ambulance at $20,000 and the public defender at $16,400. 
Most of the line items in the additional 1% sales tax projects remain unchanged from fiscal 2021, except for the humane society, which received an additional $250; In-Home Health Services, an additional $900; Osage Ambulance, a decrease of $10,000; the public defender, decreased by $8,600; and Upton Ambulance Service, increased by $5,000. 
A detailed county budget is available through the Weston County Clerk’s Office, and Ertman encouraged the community to review the budget and ask questions regarding county spending.