The Greene County board of supervisors’ proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 is very close to a “second verse, same as the first” when compared to the current year budget. Once again, the supervisors have adjusted the levy rates downward as property values have increased. Revenues are expected to be virtually unchanged, as are expenses and the ending fund balance.
The total property valuation used for computing property tax dollars for the county is $599,980,565, a 2.79 percent increase from the current year. Following the trend over the last several years, the taxable valuation of agricultural land increased more than residential property. The total valuation of Greene County farmland is set at $436,805,138, an increase of 3.16 percent over the current year. Total valuation for residential (urban) property increased 1.83 percent up to $163,175,427.
The proposed FY 2014-15 budget sets the countywide levy rate at 6.05 (dollars per thousand dollars of taxable valuation), six cents lower than the current rate. That will generate $3,629,882 in property tax revenue, compared to $3,566,244 in the current fiscal year.
The rural levy, an additional levy paid by rural property owners, is decreased 10 cents to a rate of 3.15 for the new fiscal year. Rural taxpayers will pay a total levy rate of 9.20. The rural levy will generate $1,375,936 in revenue, compared to $1,376,165 in the current year.
“We were able to lower the levy rate again without having to cut services to anyone,” said board of supervisors chairman John Muir. “We felt good when we were finished.”
All revenue from property taxes is estimated at $5,005,818 for FY ‘15, compared to $4,942,409 in the current year.
Total revenue and operating transfers in is estimated at $10,640,987, compared to total re-estimated revenues of $10,804,640 in the current year. County auditor Jane Heun explained revenue figures for the current year are inflated by funds expected from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for clean-up and repair of flood damage last May and June.
Total expenditures and transfers out in the proposed budget also reflect the FEMA funds. Total expenditures for FY ’15 are estimated at $10,738,562, compared to $10,959,781 in the re-estimated FY ’14 budget.
The budget line item for capital projects accounts for funds available to the county conservation board for various projects.
The proposed budget calls for decreasing the fund balance from $3,560,909 (re-estimated for June 30, 2014) to $3,463,334 estimated for June 30, 2015. Heun said the general fund balance would be within the supervisors’ goal of 20 to 25 percent of annual expenditures.
Expenditures in the various service areas total $9,548,562 and are as follows (rounded to the nearest thousand):
Public safety and legal services – $1,163,000 for the sheriff’s office and Law Enforcement Center, total of $1,458,000 also includes county attorney, juvenile court services and emergency services.
Physical health and social services – public health, veterans services, children and family services, etc., $467,000.
Mental health, intellectual disability and developmental disability – $384,000.
County environment and education – conservation, economic development, libraries, county fair, housing programs, etc., $768,000.
Roads and transportation – $4,399,000 (Note: of the total expense, $1,185,000 is funded by county transfers of rural, general and LOSST funds, with the remainder coming from road use taxes and other revenue sources.)
Government services to residents – motor vehicle services at the treasurer’s office, recorder’s office, elections administration, $361,000.
Administration – auditor and treasurer office except as noted above, board of supervisors, data processing and county liability/unemployment insurance, $1,572,000.
Nonprogram current – discretionary funding for organizations and grants for “brick and mortar” projects, $60,000 (paid for by an annual payment in lieu of property tax by Louis Dreyfus LDC), and capital improvements, $80,000.
The public notice of the budget is posted on the Greene County website at www.co.greene.ia.us/board_of_supervisors/fy15budget.pdf. A public hearing on the proposed FY 2014-15 budget is scheduled for Monday, March 3, at 9 am in the board room at the courthouse.
The county levies are only a portion of the total property tax bill. Typically, the county tax is less than 30 percent of the total tax bill for rural property owners and less than 20 percent for non-rural property owners.
