Well, we’ve made it through the fiscal year but not in really good shape. Road and Bridge (R&B) is in good shape but the general fund is suffering a little.
The county tax revenue for fiscal year 2017-‘18 with the 2017 rate of .585847 is projected to increase by $999,952.
This increase is just under the 8 percent that would trigger the rollback process. Of the $999,952, $145,076 will go to debt service and $159,820 will go to the special R&B tax.
This leaves $695,056 going to maintenance and operation. Of that, approximately 20 percent goes to R&B. This puts approximately $556,044 going to the general fund.
The only problem is the general fund expenses for fiscal year 2017-‘18 are projected to increase by $630,044. That puts the general fund $74,000 short.
The expense increase is mostly due to mandated expenses, at both local and state levels, that the county must fund. There were no general fund employee salary increases except for a few in the DA’s office and the Auditor’s office.
To read the full article, subscribe to the Van Zandt News or pick up a copy from one of our vendors.