Lafayette Supervisors Approve $62M Budget

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Graphic provided by Lafayette County

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors approved the 2020 fiscal year budget Tuesday that included a small raise for all employees and no raise in taxes.

The $62 million budget includes $30 million in revenues from property taxes and $8,236,81 that will go to the county school district, which is raised through a separate 69.12 millage.

The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

There were no comments made from the board or the public before the supervisors voted unanimously to approve the budget Tuesday morning.

The county’s millage rate, 36.98, is not going up this year.

The budget also includes a $100 a month raise for all full-time employees.

Most of the county’s revenue, 61% ($21 million) comes from ad valorem taxes. About 18% ($474,000) comes from fines, license and other revenues, about 11% ($3.8 million) comes from charges for services like solid waste, about 9% ($3.2 million) comes from the state and 1% ($338,500) comes from federal grants.

Public safety takes up a majority of expenses with 31% ($12.5 million) devoted to protecting the county and includes the sheriff’s and fire departments, while 19% ($7.8 million) is for county government services, 3% ($1.2 million) is used for capital projects and 4% ($2 million) is used for the courts.

Debt service takes up 5% and 5% goes to health, welfare and economic development.

Included in the coming fiscal year budget are renovations to the old Justice Court and DHS buildings for the sheriff’s department use; four new positions in the sheriff’s department; four new jailer positions for the detention center; upgraded heaters hot water systems at the jail; a new engineer and planner position for the county and about $1 million in equipment for the solid waste and road departments.