FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County's Quorum Court members discussed paying for bridge projects in rural areas after hearing 2014 revenue projections from the county treasurer.
Treasurer Roger Haney gave his first set of 2014 projections during the Finance and Budget Committee on Tuesday.
Haney distributed a 46-page packet showing projections to dozens of funds including a $42.2 million estimate for the general fund.
At A Glance
Next Budget Hearing
Sheriff’s Office Budget
When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Washington County Courthouse at the corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue
The general fund pays the expenditures for the offices of elected officials, including the county judge, assessor, coroner and sheriff.
The general fund projection is $1.2 million more than last year’s. Of that $42 million, $7.7 million should come from sales and property taxes plus penalties of late tax payments, according to Haney.
Washington County should also receive about $1.2 million for the road fund from a 1/2 cent state sales tax voters approved in November for highway projects.
Haney estimated the road fund would receive $9.9 million, or $209,785 less than 2013’s projection despite the new sales tax revenue. The Road Department is on track to spend more money this year than in the past, he said after the meeting.
As a result, the department will turn over about $700,000 less in carryover compared to his $1.7 million carryover projection last year. Carryover is unspent cash transferred as revenue from one year to another by departments.
“In five years, his predictions have been pretty darn spot on,” said Justice of the Peace Candy Clark, committee chairwoman.
Some justices of the peace expressed interest in using about half of the new revenue to replace bridges. Road Department officials told Quorum Court members in the spring nine bridges needed to be replaced in the next eight years, costing $4.6 million.
Rex Bailey expressed interest in using part of the new $1.2 million revenue stream to replace county bridges. The county judge normally has full authority over how to spend road money once it’s appropriated by the Quorum Court, justices heard Tuesday.
“Really she has control over it, but I would prefer for her to take maybe $500,000 to do a bridge,” Justice of the Peace Rex Bailey said.
Justice of the Peace Eva Madison said she believed Quorum Court members would have more say about how new money is spent.
George Butler, county attorney, said he would research the details about who can direct the use of that money and for what purposes.
“We’re talking nine years just to do the bridges that has been presented,” Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison said.
The county also has $13 million in reserve, according to the comptroller’s office.
“I would like to see it (the projects) come out of unbudgeted reserves and use that other money to get more chip and seal done and that kind of thing.”