By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Thanks to a steady revenue from sales tax, the Wood County commissioners this morning approved $46.4 million in appropriations for 2019. The budget includes 3 percent raises for the county’s approximately 1,200 employees.
The appropriations total is $1.8 million more than in 2018.
The budget transfers $2.9 million from the general fund to the permanent improvement fund. That transfer will cover $900,00 for the county’s share of the new voting equipment cost, $806,000 for renovation of mechanical systems at the county jail, and $1.2 million to continue efforts to build the permanent improvement fund for future projects.
Those future projects include possible expansion and renovation to the jail’s booking and medical areas, and addition to female housing area. Also in the future is the possible move of the county highway garage from East Poe Road to the county complex on East Gypsy Lane Road.
The county transferred money this year for architectural and engineering services for renovations at the jail. The funding transferred for next year will pay for architectural and engineering services for the new highway garage.
“Those are coming, in time,” said Wood County Administrator Andrew Kalmar.
In addition to the standard annual expenses, the county commissioners’ appropriations also included $75,000 for the opiate response program in the county prosecutor’s office. Other agencies like the Wood County Health Department and Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services will continue paying a portion of the costs, but the state’s funding for the program has come to an end.
“That burden is going to fall to the general fund,” Kalmar said.
The commissioners also agreed to pick up a share of the subscription cost for Code Red, the countywide phone alert system. The county will pay half of the $46,000 cost, with 17 other public entities picking up the other half so they can all participate in the Code Red system.
“It’s really a good partnership for us to have,” Kalmar said.
And the commissioners agreed to fund a new position of assistant 911 director for the sheriff’s office.
The 3 percent raises will be given to employees in all the commissioners’ departments, as well as those in the prosecutor’s, recorder’s, court security and public defender’s offices next year. The other county offices will receive a 3 percent increase to their salary line items, for those offices to distribute to employees as they see fit.
Kalmar credited the sales tax base for the county’s healthy budget.
“That continues to improve year after year,” he said.
