After 18 minutes of discussion, the Bartholomew County Council gave initial approval to a proposed 2021 budget of $54.2 million Tuesday.
That’s about $2.6 million more than this year’s $51.6 million spending plan.
The amount allocated for the mostly property-tax supported county general fund was listed at $28.2 million for next year, compared to $27.5 million approved for this year.
Last month, Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor said she anticipates 2021 local income tax revenue to be about 90% of the $4.9 million received this year. As of Tuesday, there was no revised financial information available that would change that expectation, O’Connor said.
On the other hand, Bartholomew County’s property tax growth quotient of 4.2% is expected to provide $2.6 million in additional revenue, according to a distributed budget overview.
After O’Connor read the proposed budget, council member and former two-term sheriff Mark Gorbett said he recalled a consensus in August that chief deputy sheriffs would receive a certain level of salary increase next year. Other than that, the council was still considering raises for other county employees ranging up to 2%.
Council member Bill Lentz, who did not attend the meeting when that matter was discussed, expressed some reservations about pre-selecting certain employees for raises.
“I have a hard time saying one person is more valuable than someone else,” Lentz said.
But Gorbett said he’s been informed that health insurance premiums for the more than 400 county employees are likely go up next year. If that’s happens, Gorbett said employees could lose money without salary increases.
When the discussion ended, the council decided to have a work session the first week of October, when further information regarding incoming revenue should be available.
With a new highway garage under construction while bond payments are still being paid for a $25 million jail renovation, debt service payments are expected to total $1.96 million next year.
Unlike previous years, the council did not consider next year’s Solid Waste Management District budget with other spending plans. That matter will have to wait until Sept. 15, because a public notice deadline was missed regarding the budget hearing, O’Connor said. Last year, the SWMD requested $3.46 million for its 2020 operations.
Although a public hearing is supposed to be part of the first reading of a budget ordinance, residents are still not being allowed to attend public meetings in county government offices due to health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. No member of the public joined the ZOOM video conference to express their opinions on the proposed spending plan.
The final reading and adoption of the 2021 budget for Bartholomew County government is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 13, beginning at 6 p.m. While the council normally meets at the county’s general office building at Third and Franklin streets, most council members have been using ZOOM video conferencing, instead of attending in person.
