MOUNT VERNON — The non-general fund operating budget the Knox County Board of Commissioners adopted on Thursday morning totals more than $54 million. The non-general fund covers departments whose funding comes from dedicated sources such as grants, levies, special taxes, fees or a combination thereof.
The county essentially acts as the fiscal agent for these funds as the money flows through the county treasurer’s office, but the commissioners cannot access the money for general fund accounts. The highest non-general fund accounts include Board of DD, around $9.7 million, and Job & Family Services, more than $14 million. Other examples of non-general fund accounts include the senior levy, Delaware-Knox-Marion-Morrow Solid Waste District, Knox County Park District and the gas tax for the county engineer’s office.
The $54,358.576 budget for 2018 is up from $52,380,130 in 2017.
Thursday afternoon, the commissioners met with Greg Magers and Art Mizer of the Knox County Agricultural Museum. Magers said that for 2018, the ag board hopes that the commissioners keep the museum funding at $7,500, the same as in 2017.
Last year, museum revenue totaled $9,719.55; expenses totaled $14,032.51. The board dipped into its savings to cover expenses; Magers said volunteers and board members also provided some items out-of-pocket.
Projects completed last year include painting the roof on the main museum building and installing a new heater in the library. “The primary concern in the library is to keep the books from freezing,” explained Magers.
Display donations in 2017 include a tractor from the Kidwell family to go with the threshing machine already on display.
Projects for 2018 include replacing the end doors on the main museum at a cost of almost $4,000. “We’d like to go with insulated doors,” said Magers.
The schoolhouse needs painted and the board wants to apply a clear-coat finish to waterproof the log house and springhouse. “That will cost a couple of thousand dollars to do,” he said.
Magers said that if the commissioners contribute $7,500 again, that would cover the cost of the new doors, painting and heating bill. The board will “have to dip a bit” into other funding sources to cover the remaining work.
“We want to be supportive, but my main concern is being your main source of income,” said Commissioner Thom Collier, who will be president of the commissioners’ board for 2018.
Magers said the museum has $26,854 in an account at the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County, but the museum can only use 70 percent of the interest generated above $25,000. “There’s not a lot generated there yet,” he said. He did say that the account was started with $16,000 less than a year ago. “We probably should run a campaign at the end of the year for tax write-off donations.”
Some money, $425 in 2017, comes in from dues; membership is holding steady at around 45. “We can’t seem to generate interest in young people,” said Mizer. “We need young people.”
Other revenue includes rug sales ($1,439.55) and donations ($355). The board also leases space to the Porkettes and the fair board to store equipment.
Mizer said that five years down the road, projects include a new room on the museum’s Earlywine Extension; in 2017, the estimated cost was $18,000. “Five years from now, who knows what it will cost?” he said.
A shorter-term project involves restoring several tractors. Magers said the board would like to start a campaign to generate enough money to get the tractors at least to the parade-ready stage.
