October Board Meeting and Budget/Levy Reports

On October 26, the County Board held its regular monthly meeting, but then held its annual Budget and Levy Hearing immediately thereafter.

During the regular meeting, the Board, among other things, voted to approve:

1) numerous intergovernmental agreements with cities and villages in the County for animal and rabies control services;

2) the County Engineer's salary; and

3) the proposed rules and regulations for the Sheriff's Merit Commission.

To learn more about these issues and the full agenda, you are welcome to click over to the "Board Packets" section of the blog to read the related resolutions and documents.

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Immediately following the Board meeting, the annual Budget and Levy Hearing was called to order.  

During the Budget Hearing, the County's Finance Team announced even further efforts by our Department Heads and Countywide elected officials to reduce their budgets.  For example, an additional $100,000 was reduced from the County's General Fund budget.

After discussion on each fund, the County Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 was approved, but not after we were advised that the Finance Committee and full Board will continue to receive monthly status reports to see if actual revenues fall off from projections, allowing us a chance to review and amend the budget, if necessary.

With the budget approved, the Board then went into the portion of the Hearing related to the tax levies (actually asking for tax dollars) for the various County funds.

In reviewing the proposed estimates, the Finance Team conveyed that with an increase in the County's assessed valuation for taxable properties, we would be approving an overall tax rate decrease, from a 0.49866 tax rate to 0.49669 (a reduction of 0.00197).  The various levies were approved.

I would like to again thank everyone involved in the Budget and Levy process, as it takes countless hours for our office heads, County electeds, Finance Committee Chairman (and Committee), County Administrator, Finance Director, and countless others, to get us to where we could pass a Budget and Levy.