County to vote on fiscal year budget Tuesday

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PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON - The Lee County Board of Supervisors will be voting to approve a final 2021-22 fiscal year budget with $40.3 million in expenditures at Monday's regular meeting.

The vote will follow a public hearing on the proposed budget.

The budget represents a 19% increase in spending compared to the previous year, mostly due to a $6 million countywide radio communications upgrade, other capital improvement projects and the new county-owned Lee County EMS Ambulance start up costs.

The spend is just under a 50% increase from the 2019-20 actual budget.

Taxes levied on property, according to a document provided to the Board of Supervisors, shows taxes collected on property in the county at $13,960,227, up about 6.7% from last year.

Total revenues are projected to be down about $5 million for the year. That is due to the county taking in $7.2 million in bond proceeds this fiscal year.

The tax levy for county urban areas is proposed at $8.31/$1,000 of assessed valuations. Rural areas are taxed at $10.70/$1,000 assessed valuation.

The county is projecting a beginning balance on July 1, 2021 of $16.2 million. With expenses outpacing revenues for the projected year by $6.1 million, the Budget Director Cindy Renstrom is projecting an ending balance of $10.2 million on June 30, 2022.

Those figures do not include any potential stimulus funds out the $1.9 million American Rescue Plan approved March 11, 2021. Those funds are supposed to reach local governments within 90 days of the bill becoming law. However there is some chatter among legislators and Gov. Kim Reynolds to possibly return the states portion to protest the formulas used for determining state allotments.

In other action, the board is scheduled:
• to consider a Lee County Ambulance Service policy outline special event services. The county-owned ambulance would charge $160/hour to be on location for special events. The policy also outlines backup providers and logistical issues if the crew is called away from the event.

board of supervisors, budget, lee county, Pen City Current, public hearing

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