2023-'24 Linn County Budget Hearings underway
ALBANY — The six-member Linn County Budget Committee began deliberating on the 2023-2024 budget Monday morning at the Fair & Expo Center. 3700 Knox Butte Road.
The meetings are open to the public and they are scheduled to run through Thursday.
Budget Committee members are Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker and citizen-volunteers Jennifer Stanaway, chair; Kerry Johnson and Mellissa Barnard.
Commissioner Nyquist presented a brief overview of the county’s status before turning the meeting over to Chair Stanaway.
Nyquist said the budget under consideration is likely the first getting back to “normal” after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included considerable amounts of federal funding to support numerous programs, especially Public Health, which held numerous mass vaccination clinics and provided thousands of vaccinations at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center, plus in area communities.
Those funding trails are closed or will soon be closed, Nyquist said. Fortunately, Linn County has been conservative with the federal funds, just as it is with local tax funds. Money was not used to significantly increase staffing — although temporary staffing was hired — and the county comes into the budget season with a proposed contingency fund of $2,286,626 which is about $1.2 million more than the current operating budget started with.
Nyquist said county property taxes are capped at 3% annual growth, but personnel costs range from 5 to 7% annually. The county is frugal with spending as a way of closing that gap, Nyquist said.
The total proposed budget is $229.3 million, compared to the current budget of $230.9 million. Of that, the proposed General Fund is $52.1 million; Roads, $31.8 million; Law Enforcement, $44.1 million; and Health Services, $62.3 million.
The actual spending level is projected at $169.2 million after internal transfers and contingencies are deducted.
Monday’s sessions included: Assessor; Surveyor; Fair & Expo Center; Printing and Supplies; Information Technology; G.I.S.; Treasurer/Non-Departmental; County Attorney; General Administration; Law Library; Property Management; Board of Commissioners; Veterans Services.
No morning sessions will be held on Tuesday due to the regular Board of Commissioners meeting. Afternoon sessions start at 1:30 p.m. and will include Planning & Building; Health Department; General Services; Road Department; Juvenile Department; Juvenile Detention.
Wednesday’s session will also start at 1:30 p.m. and will include Parks & Recreation; Sheriff’s Office; District Attorney’s Office; Clerk’s Office.
Thursday’s sessions start at 9:30 a.m. and will include 4-H District Budget Meeting; Justice of the Peace; possible decision making.
All sessions are open to the public.
