A public hearing to finalize 2011 budget amendments was held in the Riley County commission building Thursday.
One large item, that was not budget for at the beginning of the year, was “Resourceful Kansas’ ” $1.2 million grant.
“Its a grant we got midway through the year,” Riley County commission chair Karen McCulloh said. “We had to make sure appeared in the budget at the end of the year.”
In addition to the grant, the register of deeds, capital improvement, city auction, landfill closure, Riley County police department, and juvenile services funds all required adjustments. The money needed to make those adjustments come from the general fund.
“There is always a certain balance kept in the general fund, which is about 7 percent, and we take the money out of that to account for year-end expenditures,” McCulloh said.
Both McCulloh and budget and finance officer Johnette Shepek stressed that shifting that money from the general fund to those individual accounts will not impact the county’s mill levy rate.
***
One the final hurdles that will need to be cleared before the health department becomes a county-only operation, will require the Riley County commission to modify the county’s sanitary code.
McCulloh says its a matter of establishing which entity – city or county – has authority in certain situations.
“The county, being the larger entity, in the question of sanitary sewers or things like that would have the over-riding ability to tell the city what to do,” McCulloh said.
The next step in the process:
“To officially change the definitions there has to be a public hearing held by the board,” assistant county counselor Craig Cox said. “If the commission feels the changes are appropriate, they can be made.”
The commission scheduled that public hearing for 10:15 a.m. on Monday, January 30, 2012.
***
The Register of Deed’s office will shut down at 3 p.m. today for year end closing.
The Treasurer’s office will close at noon to complete year-end reporting.
Additionally, vehicle registration expires if your last name begins with a U-X-Y-Z.
Registration can be renewed at the county offices anytime after the first of the year but it must be paid by February 28, 2012 to avoid penalties.
