The Marion County Board of Supervisors heard the final numbers on its 2019-2020 budget Thursday with changes made to reflect the board’s decision not to raise taxes.
County CPA Charlie Prince emphasized department heads must stay on track with their spending for the upcoming fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1.
District 4 Supervisor Raymon “Tater” Rowell asked how much the county will have to go into the general fund. Prince told him about $500,000.
The county had already voted to approve the budget on Sept. 13 with no tax increase, subject to revisions made to factor in that there was not going to be the 4.4-mill tax increase that had been proposed.
The board has been dealing with budget issues for several weeks, beginning first with the Marion County Regional Jail. The board went back and forth with the Warden Derek Mingo before coming to an agreement on how to bill the county for inmates.
Another issue the county has been facing is the decrease in property values, which means less revenue coming in per mill.
At the meeting on Thursday, the board unanimously voted to approve the tax levy of 139.05 mills, which is the same as the current year, and also to approve the publication of the budget. The budget will appear in the Sept. 26 edition of The Columbian-Progress.
A special hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday to handle any end of the year matters before the new fiscal year begins. n
