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Whitman County lowers revenue forecast

Whitman County’s revenues for 2012 are coming in slower than expected. So, however, is spending.

County Administrator Gary Petrovich reported actual revenues are trailing projections set forth in the June budget amendment. Petrovich revised the county’s total revenue for the 2012 current expense budget from $14.2 million to $12.7 million.

“I’m estimating that our actual revenues for the total of 2012 will come in about $12.7 million,” Petrovich told officials in a meeting in the commissioners’ chambers Monday morning.

Financial Administrator David Ledbetter reported expenses through July have also lagged behind projections. Thus far, county departments have spent $7,052,195, which is $768,820 below revenue of $7,821,016.

That revenue total represents just over half of the budgeted figure, but almost 60 percent of the revised $12.7 million figure.

Both figures are up about $1 million from 2011.

Revenue in 2011 finished at $11,679,083 which was $705,983 lower than the spending total of $12,285,066.

Petrovich predicted the county will take in an additional $2.65 million in property and sales taxes for the rest of the year. Revenue from second half property tax payments will hit the county’s books in October.

Ledbetter noted the county’s largest expense is in wages and benefits. Of the more than $7 million in spending, $5,152,102 has been spent on employees. Salary and benefit costs in July alone accounted for $676,913.

Commissioners, in an effort to balance this year’s budget, decided to fund new heating and air conditioning units in the jail and Information Technology building by borrowing against future property tax revenues from First Wind’s Palouse Wind farm now under construction between Oakesdale and Rosalia.

The current expense fund borrowed $600,000 from the solid waste reserve fund, which is kept for major projects at the county landfill, and will be repaid out of revenue from the wind farm’s property taxes over the next 20 years.

Ledbetter reported the 2013 spending plans from various county departments have been submitted and will be turned over to county commissioners by the end of this week.

 

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