By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Richard Webster, Jasper County auditor, on Tuesday repeated his recommendation that next year’s budget include no allocation for pay raises for county employees.
The comment was part of Webster’s presentation outlining budget proposals for 2009 as part of a public hearing before the County Commission and other officeholders.
Webster cited a drop in sales-tax money received in December “that is the largest I’ve seen since I’ve been here. We don’t know if it’s a fluke or a trend, but regardless, I don’t think we can fund a salary increase at this time.”
He said he would monitor county collections, and that if enough money for raises becomes available, “I’ll recommend them, and I know you’re committed to that.”
The cost of a 3 percent pay hike, the amount approved by the commission in recent years, would be $200,000, he said.
The proposed budget estimates revenue for the general fund, which finances most county operations, at $14.8 million, compared with $14.4 million budgeted for this year. Revenue from the three-eighths-cent sales tax for general revenue is estimated at $5,910,000, reflecting tax totals for this year.
Webster said estimates of fees generated by some county offices also are down, including money collected by the county recorder and the public administrator.
General-fund expenditures are estimated at $15.7 million, compared with $15.4 million this year.
Webster said more than $880,000 in reserve money has been allocated to balance the budget, leaving a balance of $319,000.
The general fund includes allocations for capital projects, including $100,000 for continued repairs to courthouse wiring, $107,000 for a Route 66 museum in the Carthage courthouse and $119,000 for roof repairs. Most of the cost for the work will be funded by insurance or state grants, Webster said.
Sales-tax revenue for the law-enforcement fund is estimated at $4.1 million, including tax proceeds and nearly $200,000 as carry-over money from this year’s proceeds. More than $400,000 is earmarked for specific expenditures, leaving $3.7 million to be spent on items including reimbursements to the general fund for deputies’ pay and benefits, vehicle purchases, and fuel and oil. The county collects a quarter-cent sales tax for law enforcement.
The overall totals differ little from this year’s budget, the auditor said.
Expenditures from the county’s highway fund are estimated at nearly $8.7 million for building and maintaining roads and bridges. Revenue is estimated at the same amount, including $2.1 million in carry-over funds from this year. Expenditures are higher than the $7.4 million allocated for 2008, reflecting costs for bridge projects not finished during the year. The county collects a quarter-cent sales tax for road and bridge projects.
Revenues and expenditures in the assessment fund, which finances operations of the assessor’s office, are estimated at more than $1 million. Most of the revenue comes from state aid, with about $250,000 in county subsidies and money carried over from this year’s budget.
Budget action
State law requires the commission to adopt a budget by Jan. 8. John Bartosh, presiding commissioner, said he expects action on the spending plan at the Jan. 8 commission meeting.
Carthage, Jasper County
Jasper County Commission reviews 2009 budget plan
- Carthage, Jasper County
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Carthage attorney, reformer of revenue department, dies
James R. Spradling, a Carthage attorney who was noted for his reform of the Missouri Department of Revenue in the 1970s, died at 5:50 a.m. Monday at McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital.
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Bondswoman charged with false imprisonment
A bail bondswoman from Carthage is facing a charge of false imprisonment for allegedly attempting to put a man in jail without a judge’s order, then taking him home and handcuffing him to the banister of a staircase until a friend of the man paid her his bond money.
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Man’s last statement to be given to defendant
A judge ruled Monday that the Jasper County prosecutor must provide attorneys for Darren J. Winans with a videotaped statement co-defendant Matthew D. Laurin made about the Sheldon murders shortly before killing himself.
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Carthage proposes 1.6-cent rise in city property tax
A drop in the assessed value of Carthage real estate will translate to an increase of about 1.6 cents in the city’s proposed property tax rate.
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Open house to celebrate projects at courthouse
Projects completed last year at the Jasper County Courthouse will be celebrated in ceremonies Thursday in the courthouse lobby.
County officials will join representatives of local chambers of commerce and others for a ribbon-cutting and open house to mark the opening of a Route 66 display in the lobby and a new “peace star” atop the building. -
State budget cuts reduce county funds
County officials are bracing for more state budget cuts to translate into a loss of county revenues.
In an effort to balance Missouri’s budget, the state earlier this year cut the amount it reimburses county assessors for work to determine property values. The budget approved by lawmakers for fiscal 2011 calls for cutting the amount the state reimburses counties to house prisoners bound for state lockup. -
Jo Ellis: County home to rare yellowwood tree
In late spring, drifts as white as snow fill the gutters and curbs on the east side of the Jasper County Courthouse. It isn’t snow, of course; it’s the fallen petals of the yellowwood tree that grows squarely in front of the door to the Jasper County Extension office.
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Jasper County Commission gets building project update
Plans to close out one building project and start another were reviewed by the Jasper County Commission last week.
Darieus Adams, Western District associate commissioner, met Thursday with officials of the firm who designed a $292,400 project to upgrade the lighting and make other changes to make four county-owned buildings more energy efficient. -
Two men running for associate judge in 39th Circuit take case to court
Two men running for associate judge in Missouri’s 39th Circuit began battling it out in a Jasper County courtroom this week.
Jasper County Circuit Judge Gayle Crane heard arguments Wednesday concerning the disclosure of documents sought by Robert “Bobby” George, Aurora, the current Lawrence County prosecutor. -
Unveiling ceremony celebrates CHS tiger
Kandy Frazier, Carthage High School principal, summed it up once the new addition to the CHS campus was unveiled Thursday.
The bronze tiger sculpture created by Carthage artist and sculptor Bob Tommey, she said, is the kind of work that would be found at a big university. - More Carthage, Jasper County Headlines
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