A quick look at 2023/24 proposed Fiscal Court budget

A first reading of the proposed $16 million McCreary County Fiscal Court Budget for fiscal year 2023-24 passed unanimously during the Court’s regular meeting on May 11, 2023.  The proposed budget is broken into twelve broad categories of appropriations.

Making up 47.6% of the total budget, the general fund category overwhelmingly accounts for the majority of the budget.  With a general budget fund total of $7,636,934.00, the general fund category covers the cost of such items as:  courthouse and county employee salaries and benefits, supplies and equipment, animal control (including shelter contracts), litter abatement, sheriff’s deputies, county elections, recycling, parks & recreation, Little League support, the McCreary County airport, and much, much more.  Since $2,800,000 in revenue was carried over from last year’s General Fund, nearly 37% of the 2023/24 general fund is generated from last year’s surplus.  Other sources of funding for the General Fund include property taxes, transient room taxes, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service PILT funds, alcoholic beverage fees, federal and state grants, park fees, ambulance (user) fees, and approximately 2/3 of total annual collection of occupation taxes.

The second category of the Fiscal Court budget is the Road Fund, accounting for just over 15% ($2,452,937) of the total budget.  Although the Road Fund appropriates funding for road facilities, general services, and other items, the bulk of the appropriations ($1,647,975) goes directly to upkeep of county roads.  Upkeep of county roads includes such items as employee pay/benefits, signs, salt, gravel, road oil, contracted highway resurfacing, and equipment.  Revenue for the Road Fund is garnered from a variety of sources including:  US Forest Service, County Road Aid, Municipal Road Aid, and $175,000 in surplus from the prior year.

With a total appropriation of $1,387,955, the Jail Fund makes up 8.65% of the total budget.  The Jail Fund pays for items such as the salaries/benefits of the jailer and deputy jailers, training, prisoner transport, and contracting with other agencies (Knox County) for the incarceration of county inmates ($1, 100,000).  One third of the total annual collection of occupation taxes goes to the jail fund. $60,000 was carried over as surplus from last year.

Additional categories appropriated within the proposed budget include the following:  L. G. E. A. Fund-$46,500/Ambulance Fund-$115,010/ Opioid Settlement Fund-$164,187.73/ Grant Fund-$26,000/ Revolving Loan Fund-$262,050/ KY Product Development Initiative Fund-$416,000/County Clerk Storage Fees-$37,000/OVC CDBG Fund-$1.93/ OVC Project AML Fund (as a pass through)-$3,500,000.

The proposed budget also reflects the anticipated annual collection of $1,750,125 in occupation taxes.

Although the first reading of the proposed McCreary County Fiscal Court Budget for fiscal year 2023-24 passed during May’s regular meeting, a second reading, which will address any proposed changes, is required and anticipated in June.