Wlaf1450JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – County Commissioners met online via Zoom on Tuesday evening, approving several budget amendments and wrapping up the 2019/2020 fiscal year.
In total, six budget amendments were approved. According to assistant finance director Richard Terry, the first amendment approved “crosses multiple funds” including the county general fund, sanitation, ambulance, industrial development, highway department, general purpose school fund and the debt service and capital projects fund. It deals with local taxes being down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and realignments needed to balance the amendment. Amendments for each fund include: County general fund $24,016. Sanitation fund $2,126. Ambulance service fund $2,753. The 119 fund amendment $751. Highway department fund $1,388. General purpose School fund $21,262. Debt service fund $3,875. Capital projects fund $2,375. These budget amendments were balanced by offsetting reductions in current property tax and collections across those funds, according to Terry.
Several budget amendments approved dealt with the general purpose school fund. One amendment was for the school receiving insurance recovery proceeds for $5,160 for other capital outlay projects. Another budget amendment to the general purpose school fund was for $30,000 to repay costs incurred by the Campbell County Commission for a portion of the legal services and expert services regarding the rock quarry adjacent to the high school. The $30,000 was realigned to legal services from various personnel accounts.
The fourth amendment was also in the general purpose school fund and dealt with the state division of employment and the unanticipated charge of claims for substitute teachers and limited term employees. This resulted in a $7,000 increase for employment compensation; this is being funded by social security and state retirement reductions. The revised fifth budget amendment appropriated $30,000 for additional legal services. The final budget amendment discussed and approved was in the highway public works fund and dealt with local fuel sales under departments and local entities being less than anticipated, with reductions being made accordingly to reflect that on the county’s budget. Diesel showed a decrease in expenditures of $44,000, while gasoline expenditures were decreased by $50,000. Revenue and motor fuel taxes from the state were $150,000 less than anticipated. This loss is being met by an appropriation of equity, according to Terry.
This $150,000 decrease in state tax monies is mainly from the last two months and is due to the pandemic. “Hopefully it will start rebounding on our end as far as motor fuel tax,” Commissioner Rusty Orick said.
A variety of personnel and non-personnel accounts are being reduced to cover the $150,000 loss. That leaves a balance of $81,000 that’s being provided for by a reduction of the equity account of the highway department and public works. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 07/01/2020-6AM)