During last night’s Rock County Board Meeting, Administrator Josh Smith presented the county’s budget for 2022. 2022 will be the county’s third year of COVID-19 response. In 2021, Rock County had numerous vaccine clinics, and Smith said he was proud of the work the county has done in that regard as well.
Rock was the first county in the state to get a state sponsored clinic, due to its previously established relationships. The vaccine clinic has moved to the old job center. The county will need to continue its COVID-19 response for as long as the pandemic continues.
There is a 1.52% increase in the tax levy in 2022, just over $1.1 million. More than $73 million is the recommended figure for 2022. The Debt service levy is actually going down in 2022, which is good for the taxpayer. The tax rate has gone down for the 8th straight year to $5.42 per 1,000. This is because property values are increasing at a faster rate than taxes. Sales tax has gone up to historic levels so the budget has been revised to a more reasonable level, but Smith said the county was still conservative in their approach. T
The funding of county budget is being funded with $3 million in sales tax, $2 million general fund application, state aid for a few projects and only $450,000 in borrowing. The county borrowed $4.4 million last year for highway projects, the most it has ever done. This would be the first general fund application for a highway project since 2011. S
Smith recommended using money to offset the costs to reduce taxes. The county is still in good shape with the debt limit, at a low percentage.
ARPA funds, or $32.7 million that were allocated. ARPA funds would be used for three new public health positions, with the recommendation of four additional positions to address issues from the pandemic. The other location is for various human services areas including adult out of home placements ($250,000), child welfare services ($200,000), and the Beloit-Janesville Express.
In terms of lost revenue, Smith says that there is an estimate of $5.7 million in lost revenue that could be claimed by the county due to the pandemic. This can be used for pretty much anything. It is recommended that about 1.8 million expenditures be made. Replacing equipment and generators at 911 was also recommended. There are planned IT improvements. The county cannot continue to manage its grid system the way they have been, and Smith said the IT changes are going to both make people happy and upset at the same time.
In terms of strategic planning, there is a need to understand what the board’s priorities are and to help Smith and staff understand those needs. A wage study has been recommended due to requests and how to best balance money. Because of this, Smith’s recommendations for requested positions are smaller than what was requested.
“This is a good example of the kind of conversations we’ll be having through the budget process and next year” Smith said.
For the next two and a half weeks, beginning Monday, all committees should have the budget on their agenda and if there is something that isn’t liked, appeals are allowed. The public hearing is on November 3 at 6 PM, and on November 4 at 7:30 PM the Finance Committee will hear any appeals. On November 9 the budget will be adopted.
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