County budget approved

The Hot Springs County Commissioners have approved their budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Total requirements from the General Fund for the year will be $13,072,237, down $303,000 from the current fiscal year. With appropriations of just over $11.6 million, the commissioners dipped into the cash reserve fund for $1.4 million, $500,000 less than this year.

Most line items that have had increases will see modest ones such as the airport budget that is seeing a boost of about $2,000, and less than $1,000 for emergency expenditures.

Elections doubled their budget from $20,000 to just over $40,000 as we are sitting in a federal election year.

There was also a big jump in the jail’s budget to the tune of $131,242, which will be used for upgrades.

The line item for courthouse equipment has dropped by 50-percent and fair grounds capital projects dropped from $158,000 last year to $35,000 for the new year.

Grants that Hot Springs County will be receiving for the upcoming fiscal year are down considerably from what we had previously.

In the 2019-2020 budget cycle there was $1,040,898 in grant monies disbursed, but this year they will see $4,318,938 less in available funds.

We’re seeing three new grants this year however, the Airport Cares Grant that comes through the Federal Government due to COVID-19, a body vest 50/50 grant that allows for the purchase of bullet proof vests for the sheriff’s department and a USDA Sheriff Vehicle Grant in the amount of $34,000 that will be used to purchase a new vehicle.