MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Board of Commissioners approved on Thursday a $21.97 million general fund budget for 2023, a 7.4% increase over 2022.
“This is the fourth year in a row we passed a balanced budget. We do not have deficits,” Commissioner Thom Collier said. “We have reduced our debt significantly over the last several years.”
Anticipated revenue comes in at $22.44 million, about 3% higher than 2022. The largest revenue stream at 51% is the county sales tax ($11.5 million). The general property tax accounts for $4.84 million (22%) in revenue.
Of the $21.97 million appropriated, the justice expense category accounts for 46%. Justice includes the county prosecutor, court system, sheriff’s office and jail, and public defender.
“There are a lot of moving parts to it this year,” County Administrator Jason Booth said of the budget. “Over half of the increases are for the sheriff and jail. Contingencies increased by $25,000 based on the volatilities we are seeing.”
Booth said that with the exception of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and jail, the departments received essentially what they requested. He added that the county’s focus is to not borrow as it did in previous years.
“We are sensitive to the taxpayers and to not have government waste,” Commissioner Bill Pursel said.
“We always ask the departments to still really scrutinize their budgets and not spend when they don’t have to,” Commissioner Teresa Bemiller agreed. “We expect the departments to not inflate their budgets.”
Collier noted that the 2023 budget reflects the higher cost of office supplies, contracts, and everything else.
“Things are harder to get, so you might order more than you would otherwise because you don’t know if you are going to receive them,” he added.
Electric costs rose significantly across all buildings, as did fuel costs for all departments.
Board of Elections appropriations jumped by $134,901 because the BOE needs 56 new poll books.
“We are hopeful the state may cover some of that,” Booth said. “Even if they do, we have to front the cost and the state will repay it.”
Job & Family Services again received $500,000 in additional assistance. Additionally, because JFS cannot pay for cruiser replacement, the KCSO budget will absorb the $86,000 cost of two cruisers used by deputies working within JFS.
“We end up picking up [costs] because JFS isn’t self-sufficient. Those needs don’t go away just because the [JFS] levy didn’t pass,” Collier said.
KCSO/Jail
“This is where we are really taking a wallop,” Booth said.
Both budgets reflect a substantial increase in compensation for 2023 to stave off losing employees to surrounding counties. The KCSO has lost four deputies to Licking County, which is paying more than Knox County due to Intel’s arrival.
Between the two departments, money allocated for deputy/law enforcement salaries increased by $426,616 to total $2.9 million.
New body cams and tasers for the KCSO are estimated to cost $14,213; five cameras for the jail tally another $9,213 in equipment.
Cruiser purchase costs will jump from $164,000 to $258,000. Typically, the KCSO budgets for four cruisers but will order six in 2023 to include the two cruisers used by deputies working within JFS. Vehicle maintenance also increases by $12,000.
On the jail side, inmate care is up substantially because the county has to house inmates outside of the county. That line item received another $66,000, moving from $260,000 to $328,864.
Referencing the $500,000 saved by paying off debt for the jail and the money saved on utilities after completing renovations and replacing inefficient equipment, Collier said, “All of these other increases have absorbed that in a short amount of time.”
Following are other budget items of note:
•$300,000 for community support, which includes the historical society, airport, ag museum, and other entities
•Human resources increased by $127,693, primarily to cover compensation and training for a new safety & loss employee
•Coroner expenses increased nearly $33,000. Booth said the coroner’s budget is retrospective and based on the previous year’s expenses.
•Maintenance and hardware/software expenses increased for the Data Board, but net expenses dropped by $191,000. In 2022, expenses jumped due to software purchase.
•The Veterans Services Office requested its full allocation allowed by law of $842,647.
•$30,000 will go to the airport to help pay for a new vehicle. The brakes went out on the current one, which the city donated several years ago.
•Professional services in the commissioners’ department increased to $160,000 for expenses related to the 911 CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) project. “We budgeted to make two payments in 2023 to pay that off early,” Booth explained.
