The Union County Quorum Court approved an ordinance establishing the operating budget for 2019 during a meeting earlier this month.
The approved 2019 budget totaled just over $23.3 million, a slight increase from the approved budget for 2018, which was just over $22.6 million.
Union County Treasurer Debbie Ray said the county has two accounts that are considered “flow through accounts,” where tax money goes in and out of. These accounts are for South Arkansas Community College and Barton Library.
In 2018, the appropriation amount for the two funds was $710,500 combined, making the actual 2018 budget roughly $21.8 million
The amount of the two funds for 2019 is $691,000, making the actual 2019 budget just over $22.6 million. From 2018 to 2019, there was an actual increase of about $874,000.
The budget increased for several reasons, including an increase to the county’s health insurance cost of 6 percent, which the county absorbed.
County employees pay around $107 per month for family and about $44 for single, per pay period.
“We did not pass that on to our employees,” Ray said. “So in reality, people don’t realize they actually got a raise because we absorbed that cost.”
Other reasons the budget increased include that fire extended coverage went up 10 percent, fleet and liability went up 3 percent, other sundry insurance went up 3 percent and retirement went from 15.04 percent to 15.32 percent.
Offices of Emergency Service grants were also budgeted for 2019, totaling over $561,500, which is almost $264,000 more than 2018.
“That makes our budget go up,” Ray said. “They have to put it in there because when we spend it, you have to have that line item to spend it out of.”
The state reimburses the county for the OES grants, Ray said.
Also, the county’s district court office budgeted for a new full-time clerk, totaling about $25,000.
“Mainly, it was just things went up,” Ray said, referring to the increase in the county’s budget. “As far as putting a finger on one thing, it’s a lot of different things.”
During the Oct. 18 Quorum Court meeting, raises and bonuses were discussed.
Mike Dumas, head of the court’s finance committee, said the committee was not in a position to make any recommendations for raises because they are “still waiting to see what our anticipated revenues are going to be.”
Dumas added that Ray had told him they would be able to give bonuses to county employees.
Justice Cecil Polk recommended that the quorum approve the bonuses, and have an ordinance written for November’s meeting to pass them, “and then we will look at the pay raises a little later this year.”
The Quorum Court agreed to the plan, which will be voted on during the November meeting on Nov. 15.
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at [email protected] or 870-862-6611.