Commissioners okay budget, tax rate
By Melinda L. Lucas
After holding the required public hearing prior to their 9:00 a.m. session, Shackelford County commissioners adopted the proposed budget and tax rate at their regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 28.
There was no one from the general public to voice any opposition or comment on the proposals.
Elected officials also acted on a number of other routine items in a fairly long agenda on Monday morning.
Budget Okayed
A $4,302,971 budget proposed at the Sept. 8 session, compared with projected revenue of $4,185,420, was approved unanimously without discussion.
The expenditure figure is $69,128 more than last year’s adjusted budget, while a projection of revenues is $4,185,420.
The deficit of $117,551 will come from the county’s fund balance, although county judge Robert Skelton commented that the entire budget amount is rarely spent, and the income forecast is “on the conservative side.”
In addition to $70,000 for a three percent salary increase for county employees, the budget includes $25,000 for the constable’s office, which has been vacant for several years, as well as lease payments for new sheriff’s office vehicles.
County treasurer Tammy Brown clarified that the maintainer lease payments for the precincts will not change significantly from the 2019-2020 budget.
She also said that a $9,000 time clock purchase approved several weeks ago and mentioned in a budget explanation after the Sept. 8 meeting, is coming out of her current budget, and did not affect the 2020-2021 total.
The $4,302,971 budget, which takes effect today as the new budget year begins, was approved unanimously.
Tax Rates Approved
Since the tax rate proposed on Sept. 8 was the one that promised “no-new-revenue” (NNR) for the upcoming tax year, county officials had to post and publish only one notice before voting on the increase in order to comply with newly revised state laws.
The commissioners were also allowed to vote on the budget and tax rate immediately following the public hearing, unlike in the past when the vote could not take place the same day.
Even though it is calculated to bring in about the same amount of tax revenue as last year, the proposed tax rate of 62.92 cents is actually about four cents more than the current year’s tax rate of 58.91 cents, due to lower property valuations.
The tax rate was approved in two separate motions.
The interest and sinking (I&S) portion of the tax rate, 7.77 cents, to pay the county’s debt service, was adopted on a motion by Lanham Martin, with a second from Ace Reames.
The motion to approve the maintenance and operating (M&O) rate of 55.15 cents was made by Cody Jordan, with Reames seconding.
Both motions passed unanimously on 4-0 votes including the county judge. Precinct 1 commissioner Steve Riley was unable to attend.
Other Business
•The August treasurer’s report was okayed.
•There was no action on enforcing a burn ban. There is not a ban on outdoor burning at this time.
•The commissioners authorized Brown to pay any bills that come in this week that need to be covered in the 2019-2020 budget.
•A bid for $5,187 from Batjer was approved to replace a 30-gallon expansion tank in the Courthouse’s underground heating system.
•The commissioners also okayed an expenditure of $1,350 to replace non-functioning smoke detectors in the courtroom, as well as a missing smoke detector in the extension office.
•A breast cancer awareness month proclamation was approved.
•Precinct 3 commissioner Lanham Martin explained his inter-local agreement with the City of Moran, and the motion to approve it passed.
