MOUNT VERNON — Due in part to additional grants, a replacement levy, and the sales tax increase, the non-general fund budget the county commissioners adopted on Tuesday increased by $3.6 million compared to the 2018 budget. The total budget is $57.958 million.
The non-general fund is made up of special revenue funds, funds created to account for money designated by law to be used for specific purposes. Examples include the senior and park district levies, state and federal grants for the judicial system, and state money for indigent defense.
The Department of Job & Family Services, which covers six individual budgets, received over $12.5 million, roughly 22 percent of the 2019 budget. Knox DD received $8.9 million, about 15 percent. At around $2 million, law enforcement and the judicial system account for about 4 percent of the non-general fund operating budget.
The replacement levy voters passed last fall increased the JFS budget by $445,000. Knox County 9-1-1 gained an additional $22,000 as a result of the increase in the county sales tax. The $343,380 increase in Knox Area Transit’s budget came from an increase in Ohio Department of Transportation funding.
The county engineer’s budget rose by $482,875 thanks to a grant for the Parrott Street bridge project. The engineer’s office will also benefit from a $630,000 Community Development Block Grant designated for the bridge replacement. The county received no CDBG funds in 2018.
The additional $978,780 in the permanent improvements fund is a combination of bond money and an appropriation from the county’s general fund. The money is slated for restoring the former Central School building on East Chestnut Street.
The revolving loan fund, which was not funded last year, received $449,000 in state money. This fund makes loans to local businesses that enhance economic development.
