Auditor presents estimated 2013 budget numbers to county commissioners
Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley presented an estimated revenue figure of $8,818,000 for 2013 to the Highland County Board of Commissioners at their 12-12-12 board meeting Wednesday.
Fawley said the budgeted income is slightly below the 2012 number, which came in at a little more than $9 million.
"I always take a conservative approach on this," Fawley told commissioners Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Jeremy Shaffer. "By taking a conservative approach, that gets us in a little better shape."
"I agree," Wilkin said.
"It's much easier to go up (should revenues increase), than it is to go down," Fawley said.
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Fawley said the county will have a carry-over balance of approximately $700,000. He credited the county department heads for coming in with "reasonable budgets. Nothing outlandish has been requested."
The auditor also referenced that the county's string of 10 consecutive months of higher permissive sales taxes over the comparable previous year months came to an end in October.
The October sales tax receipts (for August 2012 sales) were $470,343.51, compared to $482,562.19 from the previous year.
Year to date, the county sales tax receipts are approximately $300,000 higher than one year ago.
"Is the first month decline a trend or just a blip?" Fawley asked. "We don't know."
Fawley told commissioners he budgeted $300,000 for casino revenues, based on the county receiving $75,000 in the final quarter of 2012.
Fawley also said he budgeted for first-half Local Government Funds from the state, but not second-half revenue.
"We know we're getting cut at least 50 percent," Wilkin said.
Fawley noted that this month's Local Government Funding was $26,000.
"It used to be $60,000 a month," Wilkin said.
"It had been as high as $80,000," Horst added. "We are living off the sales taxes."
Commissioners indicated they were comfortable with the auditor's projections for 2013.
"It's a lot easier to start here than have a few months left in the year and have to make cuts," Wilkin said.
"We've been there," Horst pointed out.
Wilkin suggested that commissioners go through the anticipated departmental budgets prior to their next meeting.