Fayette County 2014 budget to be presented next week
Fayette County commissioners have agreed to present the 2014 tentative budget at the regular meeting next week but have yet to finalize many of the revenue or expenditure figures.
Chairman Al Ambrosini said following the agenda meeting Tuesday that he was confident a proposed spending plan would be formalized and ready for the public to review when the board convenes on Nov. 19.
The plan does not include a property tax increase.
Over the past month, the commissioners have been meeting with department executives to review their respective budgets.
Ambrosini said that in most cases the spending figures have remained steady, with the exception of contractual salary increases and other costs that typically rise each year.
Some departments have asked for additional staff, including the Adult Probation Office.
“The officers are handling about 150 cases each,” said Ambrosini. “That’s a lot. It is about double what other counties have, so it is something we are considering.”
While it appears the budget may increase over last year, Ambrosini pointed to the tentative sale of the Fredericktown Ferry to an Elizabeth firm, that, if approved, would reduce the county’s responsibility for its maintenance and insurance and be of some cost savings to the county.
Blank River Service Inc. has offered $20,000 for the purchase of the vessel but gave no indication as to its future use.
The county ceased operation of the ferryboat in September but continues to insure the vessel that now sits along the banks of the Monongahela River.
Fayette County holds title to the vessel that for several decades ferried vehicles and passengers between the village of East Fredericktown and Fredericktown in East Bethlehem Township, Washington County.
Several communities and tourism-related businesses initially expressed interest in acquiring the ferry. However, they later withdrew their proposals.
The approval of the sale is pending commission approval at next week’s meeting.
Ambrosini also foresees a reduction in out-of-county rental costs for inmates with the temporary leasing of building to house female prisoners until the new prison is operational.
The Iowa Street property owned by Uniontown businessman Steve Neubauer is slated to be remodeled to accommodate about 50 female inmates.
The additional annex will also allow the county to have an additional 25 beds for its male inmates.
“I see a significant decrease in our out-of-county costs,” he said. “We will still have some inmates that will be transferred during certain times of the year, but there could be times when there are no charges.”
The county has spent more than $1 million this year to other counties to house excess prisoners.
Ambrosini said that Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates of Mechanicsburg and Sleighter Engineering Inc. of Uniontown have met with the state Department of Corrections to confer about what modifications must be made to the one-story, masonry building.
“I’m hoping the bids (for a contractor) will go out in December, and we’re ready to award a contract early next year,” said Ambrosini. “I’d like to have inmates in there by March.”
The architectural and engineering firms were retained last month by the county to oversee the design work for the temporary annex and new jail that is to be constructed in Dunbar Township.
The county is expected to sign a lease agreement with Neubauer at the Nov. 19 meeting, according to discussions on Tuesday. No amount was included in the resolution that will be listed on the regular meeting agenda.
Ambrosini, meanwhile, said that he anticipates an additional $500,000 be included in the revenue side of the county budget this year.
Recorder of Deeds Dave Malosky plans to implement a Universal Parcel Identification (UPI) number fee of $10 to all deeds produced by the office.
For example, a natural gas company seeking to lease property for drilling purposes oftentimes must reach agreements with adjoining properties to undertake the production of fossil fuel. A deed must be produced for each property.
“It could be 100 properties and that could result in $1,000 in additional money for the general fund,” he said, adding that other counties also impose a similar fee.
The county will also garner revenue through gaming taxes imposed on Lady Luck Nemacolin casino in Farmington and impact fees through the Act 13 natural gas and oil drilling legislation. However, the bulk of the income from the two sources will likely be earmarked for the reduction of the debt service incurred with the construction of the new prison.
The budget must be finalized by Dec. 31.