Boone County commission to discuss FY 2018 budget

In her FY 2018 budget, county auditor June Pitchford laid out some of the priorities that shaped this year’s budget, including:

Maintaining fiscal stability within the county’s major operating funds Providing staffing for the Public Administrator’s Office, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department Maintaining competitive salaries and benefits for county employees Providing routine replacement of equipment, vehicles and technology Election funding Routine maintenance and preservation of the county’s roads and bridges

There is one fee increase for food handlers that comes out to between $10 and $25 per establishment. Pitchford said the increase is needed “to meet the county’s 50 percent target cost recovery policy requirement.”

There are no other changes to county fees and no change in property tax levies.

But with the sales tax decline, Pitchford said she could see several potential consequences, including fee increases and property tax hikes. Despite its failure earlier this month, she recommended putting a use tax to voters again.

Here is a link to Pitchford’s proposed budget.

Several public hearings are scheduled to take place over the next month. There will be one on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m., one on Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. and one Dec. 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Then the commissioners have until Jan. 10 to accept the finalized budget but are expected to accept it in mid-December.