BENTON, Mo. -- In a year of ongoing security enhancements made at the jail and courthouse, Scott County also ended 2016 with the largest December sales tax revenue reported in the last five years.
First District Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn noted the December 2016 monthly revenue was about $15,000 more than usual at $196,781.68, which is the largest amount of December monthly revenue since at least 2012.
"That ended the year on a good, positive note for the community," Ziegenhorn said.
Historically, the sales tax revenue fluctuates from month to month throughout the year, he said.
"People bought more in Scott County in 2016, and that sales tax revenue reflects our growth," Ziegenhorn said. "That's a good sign for the retailers."
The county's annual operating budget for 2017 was approved during the County Commission's Jan. 13 meeting.
County Clerk Rita Milam, chief budget officer for Scott County, said there are always unforeseen costs that occur during the year, and the revenues and expenditures in the 2017 budget are an estimate to cover these from various budgets.
As always, Milam said, Scott County faces many challenges in the future to provide services to the residents and maintain balances in the funds.
"As the cost of everything is increasing, we don't always see an increase in revenues received," Milam said in her annual budget message. "... I strongly feel that the elected officials and their staffs will continue to do their part in performing their duties at the lowest cost possible."
The County began 2017 with a cash balance of $97,927.68 in its General Revenue Fund. With revenues being projected at $5,768,930, the total funding available for expenditures is $5,866,857.68.
Expenditures are projected at $5,843,676.47, which would result in an estimated balance in this fund of $23,181.11.
In the 2016 budget, revenue was projected at $5,829,026.09 for the General Revenue Fund while only $5,531,425.77 was actually received by the county. Expenditures were estimated at $6,454.311.28 and $6,111,784.02 was actually spent in 2016.
Funds were spent to upkeep, repair and renovate the Courthouse, Jail and Enhanced-911 Communication Center as these are always ongoing projects, Milam said.
The largest part of the budget was spent for security in all buildings by adding new cameras and monitoring systems, Milam said.
"These security measures take care of the employees as well as the people who come and do business in the courthouses," Ziegenhorn said.
In 2017, the county will finish the third phase of replacing the courthouse roof and also install a card-swipe entry system for staff, Ziegenhorn noted.
"A large portion of the unspent approved expenditures (in 2016) can be attributed to the responsible management of their budgets by elected officials and employees to maintain quality work but with a watchful eye on the funds," Milam said.
Also included in the General Revenue expenditures are money transfers to law enforcement, the Assessment Fund and E-911 Communication funding, according to the budget message.
Another major fund, the Road and Bridge Fund, began 2017 with a cash balance of $214,689.63. Revenues are projected at $1,290,270, and the total funding available for expenditures is $1,504,959.63.
Estimated expenditures this year are $1,498,125 with the projected expenses including repairs and regular maintenance on roads and bridges maintained by the county, Milam said in the budget report.
The Law Enforcement and E-911 funds include revenues and expenditures to operate the county's 120-bed jail, provide 24-hour law enforcement protection and an enhanced-911 system for Scott County residents.
The Law Enforcement Fund has $2,602,252 estimated for revenues and $2,602,607 budgeted for expenditures in 2017.
The 2017 estimated revenues and expenditures for the E-911 Fund is $464,800.
"The revenue in this fund continues to drop drastically due to residents deleting their landline phone services," Milam said in the report. "Also, these funds require equipment that has to be updated on a regular basis in order to maintain the service required and expected from these departments. As the jail ages, so does the need to make repairs to the building and replace worn-out equipment."
Ziegenhorn agreed.
"A large part of the security system upgrades were done in the jail to better monitor the inmates," he said. "The cameras were getting old in that new jail, which is now 16 years old."
The commissioners said county residents are always welcome to contact them to ask questions about the county budget.
"It really was a successful year, and we're excited about the new year," Ziegenhorn said. "We still have $1 million in reserves, and we'll try to add to that this year."