County budget on display
A new budget was on the agenda when the Union County Board of Commissioners had a rare Tuesday meeting this week.
The meeting was Tuesday morning at the commissioners' office in Jonesboro.
The commissioners usually meet on the first and third Friday morning of each month.
The county's new fiscal year begins on Dec. 1 and runs through Nov. 30, 2012. The county was required to have a tentative Fiscal Year 2011-2012 budget on public display by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Once approved by the commissioners, the tentative budget went on display in the Union County clerk's office. The clerk's office is located in room 100 at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro.
Projected expenses in the general fund total $14,568,440.76 for the new fiscal year. The expenses include allocations for construction of a new county courthouse.
The county will continue to work to pay down a longstanding debt. The debt started a number of years ago at a total of $1.2 million. The balance is down to about $460,000.
The commissioners plan to meet in special session Wednesday morning, Nov. 30, to give final approval to the FY 2011-2012 budget.
Other Business
In other business at Tuesday morning's meeting:
Project manager Mike Smith shared an update on construction of the county's new courthouse.
Rain and mud have hampered work. Smith said that 2 1/4 inches of rain was recorded at the construction site Monday night. The new facility is being built directly behind the existing structure.
In spite of the rain, Smith said the project remains close to being on schedule.
In a related development, the county recently made its first payment on bonds which were issued for the construction of the new courthouse. A payment of about $700,000 was made.
Funding for the bond payments is being generated by a local sales tax. The sales tax generates about $80,000 a month.
County officials are hoping that a steady revenue stream will allow the bonds to be paid off early. The bonds have a life of 30 years.
The commissioners approved a $40,000 loan to help a new Union County business with plans to purchase a building near Anna.
The loan was approved to Stegle Plumbing. The money came from the county's revolving loan fund. The loan fund has been utilized for a number of years to help local businesses.