Troy Nagel, Clay County assistant county manager, told the Charter Review Commission that the county's total budget is about $779,000,000 and, after excluding reserves, the county is budgeting roughly $594,000,000 in expenses this year.

Nagel said the county has set aside 16.7% in general fund reserves, which he said meets Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) guidance. "We set aside 16.7%, which is what's recommended under the, GFOA best practices. That's 2 months of reserves. So we have $22,000,000 in that reserve account," he said.

He outlined key revenue and spending details: ad valorem (property) taxes account for roughly 40% of county revenue; the county brings in about $171 million in ad valorem receipts this year, including conservation and municipality-related shares. Nagel said ad valorem rose by about 11% year-over-year, or roughly $17 million. He said other revenue categories and cash carry forward declined year-over-year and that overall budgeted expenses fell from about $648 million to about $594 million, a roughly 8.3% reduction.

The presentation highlighted how ad valorem is allocated: a countywide sheriff's levy that covers municipalities and countywide needs, a separate unincorporated law-enforcement share, fire control, and general fund uses. Nagel noted that combined law enforcement and public safety spending is roughly $168 million and that much of new ad valorem revenue goes to public safety costs.

On capital spending, Nagel said the county is focusing on public-safety infrastructure including recently opened and under-construction fire stations. He reported that the county has two outstanding bonds: one for bonded road projects and one for public safety (fire stations and a communications tower); he said both bonds are linked to a sales-tax sunset year of 2039.

Commission members asked for clarifications during the presentation. Nagel described MSBUs as neighborhood assessments set aside for road maintenance in subdivisions that request county maintenance. He clarified that SHIP refers to the State Housing Initiative Partnership, a state-funded program that passes money through the county for housing purposes.

Nagel also said the county's cash carry forward was reduced by about $83 million compared with the prior year, meaning less unspent money rolled into the current budget. He encouraged commissioners and attendees to review the printed budget books that had been provided for more detail.

Ending

Nagel said staff can provide more detailed breakdowns and copies of the budget book for commissioners and interested members of the public. The commission did not take formal action during the presentation; the item was for information and questions only.