MANSFIELD — It appears the Richland County Board of Commissioners may be ready to informally approve a 2025 balanced budget on Thursday.
After another meeting on Tuesday with county Treasurer Bart Hamilton and county Auditor Pat Dropsey — both of whom are members of the county budget commission — Commissioner Tony Vero said it appears the county’s projected general fund revenue next year will be just more than $46 million.
“I would say we will informally finalize the budget it Thursday,” he said. “But we will wait a little bit (closer) to the end of the year to formally approve it.”
The board has a formal policy of approving a general fund balanced budget each year, i.e. not appropriating more in expenses than projected revenue.
The projected revenue for next year would be less in the general fund than the county has received in each of the last two years.
A week ago, Vero predicted the county would end 2024 with general revenues of $49.5 million. Dropsey projected $48.9 million.
County general fund revenues were $47.3 million in 2023.
Vero said the 2025 budget includes a 4 percent pay increase for non-bargaining employees within their specified pay ranges and a 3 percent cost-of-living stipend for those outside those ranges.
It also includes a 5.7 percent increase for health insurance costs for county employees.
“That is pretty substantial,” Vero said.
That projected 2024 end-of-year surplus — comparable to the $8.4 million surplus the county enjoyed at the end of 2023 — did not impact the 2025 budget planning efforts.
Commissioners have said they can only project revenue numbers that are provided to them in the annual budgeting process.
At this point, officials are dealing with sales tax revenues that continue to flatten.
Sales tax revenues are the single biggest driver of the general fund. Those amounted to $25.7 million in 2023 and are expected to finish at $26 million in 2024. Projections are for $25.6 million in 2025.
In terms of the surplus at the end of 2024, commissioners will also have to decide how to allocate those funds.
A year ago, the board chose to put another $4.3 million into Richland County’s capital expense fund.
They added $1.9 million to the county’s “rainy day” fund; $500,000 to the general fund carryover; paid $1 million toward the $18 million still owed in bond debt for the county jail and put $500,000 into a newly created special revenue fund.
That fund can be used for future “payroll anomalies,” including a 27th pay period in 2032 — and unexpected employee payouts due to unforeseen retirements, etc.
Last week, commissioners agreed to assist the City of Mansfield with its Main Street Corridor Improvement Project by waiving $450,000 in fees the city pays the county as part of its jail services contract.
