COLUMBUS, Ind. — There’s no question Bartholomew County government will have more than sufficient funds to provide raises to more than 400 county employees next year.
But a few county council members worry whether using taxpayer money for salary hikes is the right thing to do while so many local families remain in financial trouble.
The entire 2021 county budget totaled $54.1 million from property taxes, local income tax revenue, grants, fees and other forms of income. During budget talks in August, the council had trimmed almost $2.5 million from requested expenses. They had decided to wait until Monday to discuss possible raises.
The council’s work session on Monday began with an upbeat financial overview from Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor. The county will receive enough federal funds through the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund that the $689,533 in local funds set aside to cover COVID-19 expenses can be spent on something else, O’Connor sad.
In addition, the amount of local income tax (LIT) revenue will be “substantially higher than what has been predicted in July,” the auditor said. Figures from last month indicate about $20.6 million in total LIT revenue for county government will be available next year, which is $3.5 million higher than what was estimated in July, O’Connor said.
With less than two months before the end of the year, the county’s general fund still has $3 million in unappropriated funds, the auditor said. The health trust for the self-insured county government has more than $5 million in reserve, and the county is receiving $57,000 in unexpected riverboat tax income.
Finally, O’Connor said long-term projections it appears the county will receive more money than expected in 2022 than what was originally forecast, although the auditor quickly added that “we don’t know what the future holds.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
