Commission approves 2012 Scott County budget

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County's finances ended well in 2011 leaving county commissioners optimistic about the new year.

The 2012 operating budget for Scott County was adopted by commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday.

"I'm very pleased and happy with the way we ended 2011 and that credit goes to everybody who is in control of spending," Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said. "It gives us a good kick off for 2012."

The general revenue fund, which pays for the upkeep of the courthouse and operation of most county offices, began this year with a balance of $1,371,800 with revenue projected at $4,753,501 for total available funds of $6.125 million.

Budgeted appropriations from the fund total $5,670,455 for an expected ending balance of $454,847.

Appropriations from general revenue include transfers to the county law enforcement fund of $1.76 million and $208,800 to the E-911 fund. Other major expenditures listed in addition to officer and employee salary costs include $350,000 for capital improvements.

The road and bridge fund started 2012 with $543,642 with projected revenue of $1,331,800 for a total of $1,875,422 in available funds. Appropriations of $1,542,150 are budgeted for the year for an expected ending balance of $333,292.

One of the bigger expenditures budgeted from the road and bridge fund is $644,000 for pre-mix asphalt, up from the $600,000 budgeted in 2011 of which only $576,582 was spent.

Other major expenses budgeted include $85,000 for insurance, $115,000 for fuel and $114,000 for equipment/trucks.

The law enforcement fund is projected to have $2,666,895 in revenue available with appropriations budgeted for that same amount. In 2011, revenues and appropriations were balanced at $2,666,895 as well.

For 2012, revenues and appropriations for E-911 are budgeted at $394,800 but revenues from the 911 surcharge continues to "drop drastically," County Clerk Rita Milam wrote in the budget message, "due to residents deleting their landline phone services." Missouri does not have an E-911 charge on mobile phones, only land lines.

Burger noted also that the 2012 budget was approved earlier in the year than ever before. Commissioners said office holders and department supervisors got their budget requests in early enabling commissioners to start the process sooner. Milam said commissioners came in extra days to work on the budget last week.

"The overall picture of the county's finances are good," Burger said. "I think that it has been years and years of conservative efforts that have got us to where we are."

Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn noted sales tax received by the county is already up with $148,395 received in January on a half-cent sales tax as compared with $111,370 in January 2011.

Burger said that a good financial situation does not mean county officials will begin to spend frivolously, however.

"We are going to continue to operate in the fashion we have," he said. "We estimate our revenues conservatively and so far we have always been able to achieve our revenue projections."

Burger noted that county offices and departments funded from the general revenue fund spent nearly $1.1 million less than appropriated in 2011.

"Appropriations were estimated at $5,484,892.25 and $4,386,820.76 was actually spent," Milam said in the budget message.

"I appreciate everybody's efforts," Burger said.

Milam described 2011 as a "very, very smooth budget year."

Ziegenhorn said the county was fortunate that no major unforeseen expenditures came up last year other than disaster recovery efforts -- and most of those costs were quickly reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We've had disasters before we learned from," Milam said. "We got our money very, very quickly from FEMA."

Milam said one important thing learned from past disasters was to keep good records. She credited Norman Brant, county highway department superintendent, with doing a great job documenting disaster recovery costs of the spring 2011 flooding. Revenue in 2011 for the road and bridge fund included $510,029 in reimbursements from FEMA for a total of $1,628,726.

Pertinent address:

Benton, Mo.