Reprinted with permission from the Warren Record

Warren County commissioners made good on their promise to maintain the tax rate at 60-cents, as they adopted the 2010-11 fiscal year budget Tuesday morning.

The $27.65 million general fund budget includes revenues of $15.29 million from ad valorem taxes and $2.33 million appropriated from undesignated fund balance, or cash reserves not restricted for a specific use.

The fund balance allocation reduces the county's reserves to little more than what is required by the state, which mandates that local governments keep an amount equal to at least 8 percent of their general fund budget on hand. Warren County's undesignated fund balance at the end of last fiscal year was $4.8 million.
Items with the highest budgets remained the same as in years' past, although several were reduced from the current year. Top cost drivers are: $2.22 million for the sheriff's office; $1.16 million for the detention facility; $1.68 million for emergency medical services; $2.99 million for the health department; $5.32 million for social services; and $4.13 million for Warren County Schools.

Expense increases include county takeover of the child support enforcement office and staff, which was mandated by the state; employee health insurance premiums, even with a new provider; and a higher retirement contribution rate due to losses sustained by the Local Government Employees' Retirement System.
Commissioners maintained annual funding of $116,000 for weed control on Lake Gaston and included in the budget $20,000 for a park in the Roanoke township. They approved two personal days for employees working for the county on July 1 who currently accrue annual leave in lieu of a pay increase, which is not a direct cost to taxpayers, and set the annual solid waste fee at $115, up from $105 and the first increase since 2003. Water and sewer rates remained unchanged.

The new budget year begins July 1.