County gets good report on finances
Friday, June 12, 2009
Lyon County received a good report for the month of May during Thursday’s Lyon County Commission meeting.
Bob Agler, of A&M Consultants, gave commissioners a financial report during their action session. Agler said he didn’t see any issues that stuck out in May. He said the county is still in a good cash position. However, general fund revenues have dropped below what was budgeted primarily because of sales tax, Agler said. The revenue into the general fund is $248,000 below the pro-rated budget because of the delay in sales tax collection. The county is $333,000 short on sales tax collections on the 1 percent sales tax that is delayed for collection until July 1 but only $248,000 below budget.
“Something is coming to the good side,” County Controller Dan Slater said.
Overtime has decreased 4.8 percent from last year’s figure despite weather woes, Agler added.
“I thought that was very positive,” he said.
Following the monthly report, commissioners discussed the 2010 budget. Agler said two versions were prepared: one that assumed the budget would stay flat from 2009 and a second one that would assume personnel expenditures and related benefits would go up 2 percent a year.
“At this point that’s all we’ve done,” Agler said.
Slater said the numbers on the budgets don’t assume what department heads are asking for in their budgets.
Agler later cautioned commissioners, saying there are some serious financial situations with the economy but the county is going to weather it — if the budget is leveled out.
“If we start increasing budgets in a down economy, No. 1, that is counterproductive,” Agler said. “No, 2, it’s just going to make this picture this much worse.”
In other business, commissioners gave directions for the Road and Bridge Department to submit an application to the state for a traffic study of the intersection of Roads 220 and M. An accident involving a car and a semi took place there on May 29, critically injuring Mariah Serrano.
Commissioners discussed the road Wednesday with Matt Collins, a safety officer for Lyon County and an employee for Lyon County Road and Bridge. The county can ask the state to study the intersection, but it is unlikely that the state will find that the corner qualifies for a safety study. The state requires five or more accidents in a 12-month period at a location before authorizing a study.