Amendments to the current fiscal year budget and a request from the Workforce Development Complex were the major topics for the Budget Committee of the Carter County Commission at its Monday meeting.
The Committee unanimously passed several amendments to the current fiscal year budget, which Carter County Finance Director Ingrid Deloach described as routine end-of-year business. Many of the transfers involved moving funds from one line item to another in order to balance the budget for the departments requesting the changes.
Transfers for the Solid Waste budget garnered more discussion than any of the other amendments. Deloach said the amendment was related to cash flow at that department, which covers operating costs.
“We have been carefully monitoring the cash flow for about a year-and-a-half now. It has been a crucial issue and now it has become critical,” Deloach said. “This is not an issue with him (landfill Manager Benny Lyons) failing to meet his budget, this is a cash flow issue. It will not give him any additional budget, he will still be within his budget. This is just for cash flow purposes.”
Deloach reported to the committee that the County counts funds listed as “transfers” into the landfill’s budget, but that the money remains in the General Fund; that requires Lyons to come before the committee to request those funds be released to him when he needs them.
“We put it in his budget as revenue, but then we don’t give it to him so it’s like setting him up for a $75,000 shortfall,” Deloach said.
Following the discussion the committee unanimously approved the amendment to the solid waste budget.
Members of the committee also approved a request from the Workforce Development Complex to forgive the rent which the agency pays the county so needed repairs could be made to the building.
Workforce Development Complex Director Kim Eggers addressed the committee regarding the need for the roof to be replaced on building two of the complex, which is the building that houses Northeast State Community College.
Eggers requested that the County forgive the $48,000 in rent that the agency pays each year for a period of four years to allow the repairs to be made.
“They are close to 53 years old and have never been replaced, only repaired,” Eggers said of the roofs on the two complex buildings. She added that the roof has multiple leaks and they hope to get repairs completed before any structural damage occurs.
According to Eggers, the agency obtained three estimates for the cost of replacing the roof. She said that the estimate the agency would like to go with was for approximately $154,000, and would come with a 15-year warranty.
After a brief discussion the committee approved to forgive the rent paid by the Workforce Development Complex to the county for a period of four years in order for the repairs to be made.