County budget shrinks to $10M for 2017

By Phil Cobb | January 30, 2017 |

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Nodaway County Collector-Treasurer Marilyn Jenkins, standing, delivers the 2017 budget summary to the County Commission during a public hearing in the commission chambers Friday morning. This year’s Nodaway spending blueprint shrunk $2 million compared to 2016, due largely to the absence of federal bridge construction and flood damage funding.

The Nodaway County Commission approved its 2017 budget during a brief public hearing Friday morning.

This year’s spending blueprint for the state’s fifth-largest Missouri county in terms of land area totals just more than $10 million, or about $2.2 million less than in 2016.

In terms of local tax dollars, the total isn’t dramatically different than last year, and projected General Fund spending at $4.19 million is actually about $200,000 less than 2016’s approved sum of $4.39 million.

Actual General Fund expenditures for 2016, however, came to only $3.73 million.

Budgeted amounts for the county’s other major funds, with last year’s approved totals in parentheses, were: Road and Bridge, $3.6 million ($5.6 million); assessor, $533,316 ($389,700); 911 service, $157,670 ($153,950); Administration Center, $558,150 ($696,750); and county half-cent sales tax revenue for road gravel, unchanged at approximately $1 million in both years.

The big difference in the budget for 2017 appears under the Road and Bridge column, where spending will shrink and estimated $2 million due to a decrease in federal “off-system” grant dollars for bridge construction and the completion of a large number of Federal Emergency Management Agency flood damage projects over the past couple of years.

Because it has used up most of its “soft match” allowance — that is labor and materials for bridges built at county expense — relatively few federal dollars are available in 2017 for transportation infrastructure.

In order to build its soft-match credit back up, however, the commission plans to undertake seven bridge rebuilding projects during the oncoming construction season, all paid for with county dollars.

The sole exception is federal approval — received just last week — for an off-system bridge near the intersection of 365th Street and Galaxy Road over Jenkins Creek, just east of Graham.

Adding an eighth span to this year’s approved lineup of projects raises the total bridge budget from a little more than $1 million to around $1.7 million.

Remaining FEMA flood-damage work, stream bank stabilization efforts, and a hazardous waste grant bring the total Road and Bridge construction budget to $2.3 million, compared to $4.3 million in approved spending in 2016.

In the only county department under the sole authority of a new officeholder following November’s general election — the Sheriff’s Office — projected spending shows a slight decrease and has been somewhat redistributed.

Chris Burns succeeded Robert Westfall on the commission, but his executive authority is limited to casting one of three votes.

Under Sheriff Randy Strong, county law enforcement now has a budget of just less than $810,000, compared to $740,000 in approved spending under former sheriff Darren White.

However, Strong’s jail operations budget is lower, coming in at $341,000 compared to 2016’s approved spending mark of $420,000. That means Sheriff’s Office spending should remain nearly flat this year.

On other fronts, Nodaway County employees will receive a 2 percent across-the-board cost-of-living raise this year in addition to the 1 percent pay hike approved by the commission in 2016.

Finally, the commission approved appropriations for a number of charities and non-profits that render services and assistance to Nodaway County residents. Totals by organization or category, along with last year’s appropriations in parentheses, are as follows:

Children’s Mercy Hospital, $2,000 ($2,000); children’s advocacy services, $2,500 ($2,500); children’s family services, $2,500 ($2,500); indigent requests, $800 ($500); New Nodaway Humane Society, $1,500 ($1,500); Big Brothers Big Sisters, $2,000 ($2,000); Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, $2,500 ($2,500); Nodaway County Ministry Center, $2,500 ($2,500); child support contract $4,753 ($2,000).