Bartholomew County Council expecting drop in revenue next year

Bartholomew County Council will be looking at reductions to make when they consider the 2021 budget starting next week. But things are not as bleak as they could be.

County Auditor Pia O’Connor told the Council members this week that based on her analysis, they would be facing budget expenses of $30.2 million in the General Fund, up about $2.8 million from this year. But they would also see only $28.7 million in revenue for the General Fund, compared to $29.3 million. The biggest revenue loss next year is expected to be in the local income tax revenues, which are expected to be off by about $1.2 million dollars due to the pandemic, layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts endured by members of the community.

If those numbers hold true, the council would have to cut about $1.6 million in requested spending to balance the spending against the revenue. The biggest budget increase identified by O’Connor is the costs to deal with the COVID pandemic, estimated at $3.5 million dollars. And the General Fund will have to pick up about $450 thousand in jail costs, that have been paid out of income taxes in recent years. But the county will also drop planned spending on courthouse repairs by about a million dollars and with the city of Columbus picking up half the tab for the Alliance For Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, that would mean another $394 thousand dollars in reduced spending from this year.

O’Connor also pointed out that the county is in good financial shape already, with more than $12 million in expected reserves in the General Fund at the end of the year and another $4.5 million in the county’s Rainy Day Fund.