County Council gets bad news…then good news on budget

The Bartholomew County Council got some bad news from Auditor Barb Hackman as it relates to how local income taxes can be allocated and spent. Under a change coming next year, the council thought it would be able to control where these funds would go, allowing the body to make up a $500,000 shortfall for next year. Not so, said Hackman, who spoke with the state’s Department of Local Government Finance…

For example, she says that the city of Columbus will still get approximately $2.8 million dollars…

Councilman Chris Ogle sums it up…

County Commissioners were on hand during the council’s work session. President Rick Flohr explained to the council that he understood that when the CEDIT was implemented by the council, it was done so with the expectation that the commissioners would give the council $500,000 to $600,000 per year for public safety. Originally, commissioners agreed to only give up $200,000 for 2017…

That essentially makes next year’s budget shortfall problem moot.

The council meets in session next Tuesday to adapt the first reading of the budget. That meeting takes place at 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the County Government Building on Third Street.