County To Deal With $0.6M Shortfall
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
No matter how much planning and budgeting takes place, sometimes shortfalls still happen.
Tuesday, at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting, county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the insurance and retirement benefits for the county employees will cost the county more this year than the county anticipated during budgeting last year. Without an additional appropriation, the county will not have the money to pay for the benefits.
The insurance shortfall for this year, which will hit about September, will be approximately $300,000. The retirement shortfall will be $200,000 with a possible shortfall in Social Security of $100,000.
Mitchell said the county council will be informed of the matter at its 7 p.m. Thursday meeting, and she will ask them for an additional appropriation to cover the shortfall.
"We're going to spend it. You have to have the additional appropriation to do it," Mitchell said.
In another matter, the bids for the bridge 227 project, on Hand Avenue, in Warsaw, were opened. The engineer's estimate was $33,460, but bids included: Phend & Brown, $32,803; Pioneer Associates, $54,126; and Cripe Excavating, $37,378. Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson will review the bids and make a recommendation to the commissioners later.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved Ed Rock as the county emergency management director and Larry Marner as the weights and measures inspector.
• Approved for Ladson to seek an additional appropriation to purchase a new loader for the county highway department. The department received more money from the state after last year's budget request for this year was submitted because of the increase in gas sales tax. The loader being replaced is from 1974.
• Approved for the county clerk to spend $17,000, including equipment and training, for a bar-code system to code and track files from the office. County administrator Ron Robinson, who made the request on her behalf, said she has sufficient funds.
• Approved the deobligation of transit grant funds for the Kosciusko Area Bus Service. Any funds KABS did not spend after the end of the year have to be sent back.
• Approved the subrecipient semi-annual report for Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District.
• Approved repealing a stop sign at the railroad crossing near the intersection of Old 15 and CR 900N. The crossing now has flashing lights and gates.
Commissioners are Brad Jackson, northern district; chairman Ron Truex, middle district; and Avis Gunter, southern district. They meet at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, every other Tuesday. [[In-content Ad]]
No matter how much planning and budgeting takes place, sometimes shortfalls still happen.
Tuesday, at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting, county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the insurance and retirement benefits for the county employees will cost the county more this year than the county anticipated during budgeting last year. Without an additional appropriation, the county will not have the money to pay for the benefits.
The insurance shortfall for this year, which will hit about September, will be approximately $300,000. The retirement shortfall will be $200,000 with a possible shortfall in Social Security of $100,000.
Mitchell said the county council will be informed of the matter at its 7 p.m. Thursday meeting, and she will ask them for an additional appropriation to cover the shortfall.
"We're going to spend it. You have to have the additional appropriation to do it," Mitchell said.
In another matter, the bids for the bridge 227 project, on Hand Avenue, in Warsaw, were opened. The engineer's estimate was $33,460, but bids included: Phend & Brown, $32,803; Pioneer Associates, $54,126; and Cripe Excavating, $37,378. Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson will review the bids and make a recommendation to the commissioners later.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved Ed Rock as the county emergency management director and Larry Marner as the weights and measures inspector.
• Approved for Ladson to seek an additional appropriation to purchase a new loader for the county highway department. The department received more money from the state after last year's budget request for this year was submitted because of the increase in gas sales tax. The loader being replaced is from 1974.
• Approved for the county clerk to spend $17,000, including equipment and training, for a bar-code system to code and track files from the office. County administrator Ron Robinson, who made the request on her behalf, said she has sufficient funds.
• Approved the deobligation of transit grant funds for the Kosciusko Area Bus Service. Any funds KABS did not spend after the end of the year have to be sent back.
• Approved the subrecipient semi-annual report for Turkey Creek Regional Sewer District.
• Approved repealing a stop sign at the railroad crossing near the intersection of Old 15 and CR 900N. The crossing now has flashing lights and gates.
Commissioners are Brad Jackson, northern district; chairman Ron Truex, middle district; and Avis Gunter, southern district. They meet at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, every other Tuesday. [[In-content Ad]]