By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

The county has appropriated more than $14.1 million dollars for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. As of Tuesday, 29 percent of that amount has been spent.
Lori Sayer, Finance Director for Morgan County, updated the Morgan County Board of Commissioners (BOC) regarding the county’s budget during their meeting Tuesday morning.
“I do feel like this is pretty accurate,” she said. “If you look at the fund balance and when we compare it to our budget and expenditures, we’re still about 22 percent, which falls within the recommended range of 15 to 25 percent,” she said. 
BOC Chairman Ellen Warren asked about the risk management category, which has $201,000 appropriated and about $183,000 spent.
Sayer noted that this is their liability insurance for property and casualty and that they must pay this when they get it.
County Manager Michael Lamar explained that it is a lump sum payment, not a monthly payment, and that it is less than they had budgeted.
Warren then asked about the amount spent for electricity at the jail: $167,000 appropriated for that expense. Lamar said they hope that the retrofit improvements will bring down the utility bill there.
Sayer added that they are waiting on a rebate check estimated at $12,000 from Georgia Power. 
Warren also asked about debt services pertaining to the Department of Family and Children Services.
Lamar said that the last payment for a loan between the county and the lending agency holding the note on the building DFCS is in is due March 31, 2013. Right now DFCS pays $13,000 a month in rent and they want to pay $3,000 a month, according to Lamar.
Lamar later explained that the county took out a 15-year loan to pay for the building and that DFCS agreed to pay the approximately $13,000 a month in rent.
Sayer said she does not think that $3,000 per month will cover the overhead and maintenance costs.
Warren asked Sayer about dues and fees in the Solid Waste Fund, which has more than $466,000 appropriated for it. She asked why solid waste was a category by itself.
Sayer replied that it is considered an ‘enterprise fund’ in that it could be self-sufficient and run like a business.
Overall, though, the county is doing well, according to Lamar.
“We’re 33 percent through the year and 29 percent through expenses,” he said.

Printed in the November 8, 2012 edition