Cole County passes 2017 budget

With very little objection, the Cole County Commission approved a financial plan Tuesday morning for fiscal year 2017.

The budget totals more than $78 million, about $1 million more than fiscal year 2016.

“We tend to be good stewards of the money that we have and try to provide good services for the citizens of Cole County,” said presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman. “We don’t spend money we don’t have.”

The 2017 budget includes funds for the Sheriff’s Department to hire a full-time training/recruitment officer, a much-needed position, according to Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler.

“Our agency’s getting big enough now that (training and recruitment) can no longer be an additional duty for someone to take care of because it’s just too complicated,” said Wheeler. “This is something I thought about asking for last year but I decided, in my first term, that we were going to make this happen.”

The vote to approve the Cole County budget was unanimous.