Lack of info tables county budget

By Staff, 12/3/21 10:24 AM

PRESCOTT – A budget meeting was held following a special session by the Nevada County Quorum Court Thursday night, with nothing done.

The main problem with the budget is the one presented for the Nevada County Jail .was $240,000 over the anticipated revenue and budgets can’t be approved if they’re in the red. The anticipated revenue has been projected at $647,290.08, while the proposed budget is $883,800. The jail revenue budget was also more than anticipated revenue, which was $45,000. The proposed budget is $53,258.

Nevada County Judge Mark Glass said Nevada County Sheriff Danny Martin needs to trim his budget.

Justice of the Peace Bob Cummings suggested taking a new air conditioning unit for the Nevada County Health Unit out of the county budget and using money from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) instead, with the same done for the sheriff’s office.

JP Pat Grimes said other counties have used ARPA funds for air conditioning and rural water.

Glass pointed out the county can’t present a budget to the state with any departments in the red. He said the anticipated revenue figures could be reexamined to see if more can be found for the jail.

There was talk about using ARPA funds to cover lost revenue. County Treasurer Lisa Lowe said under the law this can only be done for the entire county, not one department.

The problem, it was later admitted, is the budget committee hasn’t met with the sheriff to discuss his budgets. The budget committee was charged with discussing these budgets with the sheriff and addressing its findings at the regular meeting of the court on Dec. 14.