MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County commissioners delivered a State of the County report Monday at the weekly Kiwanis Club luncheon.
According to Commissioner Teresa Bemiller, things are looking good.
“I can stand here and say confidently that we are in very good shape,” she told the Kiwanians.
On the revenue side, projections are for $24.4 million. Investment income is up, and sales tax continues to be strong.
“We estimate it to be $1 million more in 2024 [compared to 2023],” Bemiller said of the sales tax income.
Sales tax revenue accounts for 51% of revenue; Bemiller acknowledged that revenue is economy-based.
Bemiller noted that County Auditor Sarah Thorne calculated the estimated $4.95 million in property tax revenue based on 2023 values.
On the expense side, the justice system and sheriff’s office account for 47% and 31%, respectively. Board of Elections appropriation rose since it is an election year, and Job & Family Services went up $500,000 due to the levy failure.
Appropriations top revenue by $948,000.
“We know property taxes will go up, but we won’t know how much until the second half tax comes in,” Bemiller said. “If we did have to use reserves [to cover the deficit], the county is in very good shape for that.”
Bemiller also noted the county has very low debt.
Land bank
Bemiller reviewed land bank projects, which include the former Mount Vernon News building and the demolition of several blighted structures.
The commissioners contributed $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money toward a eight-unit apartment complex project on North Norton Street. The project is a joint land bank-Ohio Area on Aging endeavor.
The land bank, in conjunction with the Area Development Foundation, continues to look for companies that will “be a good fit” for Heartland Commerce Park.
Bemiller said HCP is the most challenging but also the most rewarding of the properties the land bank owns.
State of the County: ARPA distribution
Commissioner Thom Collier reviewed the 10 departments the commissioners oversee.
He also reviewed how the county distributed the $12.1 million in ARPA funds, noting some of it supported small business loans and Knox Public Health for the care of underserved community members. The Winter Sanctuary and the arts community also received funds.
The bulk of it, however, went to infrastructure and improvement projects. Projects involved county water and wastewater projects. The county also partnered with Fredericktown and Mount Vernon on water/sewer projects. A county project was a new sewer treatment plant at Pleasant View Acres.
“We never would have been able to do that with only 48 homes paying for it,” Collier said of the Pleasant View Acres upgrade.
“We tried to be very good stewards of the $12.1 million we received.”
Additional projects the county helped fund are the Intel Growth Strategy Report through the Area Development Foundation, a downtown coordinator, and the career navigator position through the Knox County Educational Service Center.
Additionally, the county is the primary funder of the comprehensive plan update underway.
State of the County: Capital improvements
Commissioner Bill Pursel reviewed the county’s improvement projects, which include finishing up the courthouse cupola restoration and window replacement in the service center.
Replacing boilers in the Memorial Building, sheriff’s office, and courthouse, HVAC updates to the service center and courthouse, and the new transit center are also on tap.
“When we’re completed, you will be very proud of the buildings we have here in Knox County,” he said.
Community Development Block Grant projects include assisting with a cold room for Center of Hope in Bladensburg ($66,000), Brinkhaven sidewalks ($139,600), Buckeye Addition water project ($735,358), and the Martinsburg water line improvement ($500,000).
