The Marshall County Council members will start working on the 2021 budget soon and Marshall County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer said both government entities will be working together to make sure the county works through what could be a tough budget year.
Auditor Julie Fox said the department heads have gotten their worksheets and they will be handing them in at the end of the month to be presented to the council in August for consideration.
As for revenues, Fox said the Department of Local Government Finance is delayed in sending out local income tax projections, but everything else should be returned by August for review.
To help with reaching the budget levy, department heads are asked to increase budgets up to four percent. The council will review those budgets in August and September and make any cuts for final adoption in October. The council will determine raises, if any, for full-time employees during those sessions if revenues can sustain a certain amount for raises.
The council has to consider funding several projects that are coming up including the clock tower renovation at the Marshall County Courthouse, Stellar Communities Designation matches, renovations to accommodate the new Marshall County Superior Court No. 3, and a county morgue. Commission President Kevin Overmyer told the council members that insurance rates are expected to go up and with the loss in revenues from the COVID-19 pandemic, there could be some changes coming.
Overmyer commented, “As you guys have done over the years you’ve been very mindful and you’ve been very diligent about what you guys do. I can envision that if it gets too bad – a lot of these departments don’t have any more to cut. The only thing we’d have left is people. I’m not pushing the panic button here, but it just depends on where our revenues come in at.”
Government officials will be watching revenues very closely in the next few months as the budget process gets underway.
