| Shelley Wright of the Children’s Justice Center and commissioner�Michael Milovich and Bill Krompel present an award to Jim Weaver,� operations superintendent for ConocoPhillips, recognizing the company� for its contributions in the Carbon County area. The commission� recognized ConocoPhillips for its civic contributions, calling the� gas company a model corporate citizen and an integral part of the� county’s economic life. Weaver noted that many employees are local�citizens and they are simply giving back to the community that they�are part of. |
Carbon commissioners made year-end adjustments to the county’s 2005 budget last Thursday.
The Dec. 29 modifications came in anticipation for final expenditures and revenues for various funds in the county.
In order to manage the various departments and services in the county, funds are split into numerous funds.
Before auditors review county government’s finances, funds must balance and expenditures need to remain lower for each department than the total amount budgeted.
Some departments have overspent the initial budgets created at the onset of the fiscal year, which began on Jan. 1, 2005.
Prior to the end of the year, commissioners opened the budget in a public hearing and adjusted budgets for departments that would be outside of their anticipated budget.
One of the largest changes was made in the county’s fund 10, with a total change of near $400,000.
Several departments reportedly overspent the revenues allocated in the county’s 2005 budget, while other adjustments corrected inadvertent clerical errors that occurred throughout the year.
The budget for the county commission was increased $40,000.
County clerk-auditor Robert Pero explained that the change is the result of an error in the budget made earlier in the year.
The budget for Carbon County’s provision of public defender services was increased $55,000.
The personnel department required an increase of $25,000. Data processing needed an increase of $70,000.
The county’s communications department required an increase of $17,000.
A legal dispute stemming from a property tax issue required a $55,000 increase to the assessor’s budget.
The Children’s Justice Center operates on a July to June fiscal year and the difference required a change in the center’s budget of $19,000.
Courthouse costs required an increase of $70,000.
Emergency medical services required a $62,000 increase and the landfill required an increase of $20,000.
Both of the increases come as a result of unexpected increases in fuel costs.
Contributions from other entities required an increase of $50,092.
The bulk of the amount was due to a $44,285 receivable from the county housing authority.
The receivable, approximately 30 years old, was never received from the housing authority.
Last year, auditors noted the need to retire the receivable from the budget and commissioners needed to retire the amount in order to not be cited for the outstanding receivable.
Pero told commissioners that the amount had been initially paid by the county for a project between 1970 an 1980 with an agreement that the housing authority would repay the amount. However, the amount was never received and the county needed to transfer funds this year from its surplus in the general fund to cover the amount.
Other increases were made to the clerk/auditor, $5,000; the recorder, $5,000; safety, $5,000; victims rights, $7,000; industrial park, $3,000; dispatch, $5,000; and television, $20,000.
Three areas required decreases in their budgets and reduced the total amount that fund ten would need to be increased. The jail was reduced $100,000. The non-departmental fund was decreased $50,000 and elections was reduced by $7,340.
Pero said costs for electronic voting equipment were lower than anticipated. The county spent just over $3,000 of $10,000 allocated to voting equipment costs.
Revenues to fund ten as of last Thursday were $9,133,457. Estimated revenues for the year are $10,023,471. Revenues will continue to be received until the auditor reviews the county budget later this year. Revenues are expected come from property taxes, $239,463; assessing and collecting from the state, $18,098; assessing and collecting from the county, $31,384; unattached personal property, $67,463; redemptions, $11,714; budget surplus, $468,800; and fund surpluses totaling $103,092. In addition, the county will make redevelopment agency payments totalling $50,000.
The county’s fund 20 had total revenues through Dec. 29 of $5,855,868. Addition revenues are expected to come from property taxes, $16,192; unattached personal property, $2,563; redemptions, $230; special service district contract, $784,000; class B road funds, $100,000; sales and use tax, $100,000 and budgeted surplus, $317,647.
Total estimated revenues are expected to be $7,176,500.
Expenditures for the sheriff’s department will be reduced $100,000, offset in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security totaling $222,000.
Other increases for departments include liquor law, $100,000; building inspection, $20,000; animal control, $40,000; and street lighting, $2,000.
The largest adjustment for expenditures was approved for the county’s general highway fund. A total change of $400,000 is needed to compensated for fuel costs, the replacement of a deteriorating bridge in Spring Glen and a lawsuit.
Commissioner Bill Krompel added that the county spent more than the anticipated amount for the year on Nine Mile Canyon and a bridge repair on Coal Creek Road.
The approved adjustments will change the approved budget for fund 20 from $6,492,500 to $7,176,500.
Other expenditure increases were approved for the county historic fund, $2,500; leisure services, $52,481; centennial fund, $2,000; Castle County Travel, $5,000; and Four Corners Mental Health, $100.
Another increases was made to compensate for sewer costs for the county recreation and transportation special service district, an increase of $10,000.
The commission approved an increase for the county senior center for $130,000. Of that, $100,000 went to the purchase of new vans.
Capital projects was increased $400,000. Krompel explained that most of that went to improvements at the county airport.
One increase which was still being researched was for the county fairgrounds. Commissioners approved an increase of $200,000.
With the county commission approving the above budgets, three budgets were left to be readjusted before the end of the year. Those funds are administered by the Carbon County Recreation and Transportation Special Service District and were expected to be adjusted and approved on Friday before being merged with the rest of the county budget.