Greene County Commission adopts $117.5M budget

Last edited 4:30 p.m., Feb. 2, 2015

On Friday, the Greene County Commission officially adopted the county’s $117.5 million 2015 budget, marking an increase from $115.6 million last year.

Sales tax revenue, up 7.5 percent last year, drove the uptick, according to a county news release. The total budget includes a $37.8 million general revenue fund, a 7.8 percent increase compared to $35.2 million in 2014.

As part of the approved budget, Greene County employees will receive a 3 percent cost-of-living pay increase, and workers with four years or more of service with Greene County also will receive a one-step bump in their pay grade, according to the release.

The county's fund balance is $9.9 million, which officials attribute to conservative budgeting over the past six years and an improving economy.

Though the purse strings are loosening, the 2015 budget is still falling short of needs, according to the release. The nearly $2.6 million increase in the general revenue fund falls short of $9.5 million in identified critical needs, according to the release.

Since the onset of the recession, 27 county position vacancies remained unfilled. However, the 2015 budget restores two general revenue positions, upgrades one part-time post to full time and adds four new positions to the criminal justice system in the form of three court bailiffs and one traffic court clerk.