The work on the FY 2021 budget continues – with sessions planned to offer Commissioners the opportunity to make adjustments – as Polk County’s government gets ready to approve their stated revenues and expenses through June 2021.

The first budget session for County Commissioners to gather and discuss is slated for June 24 (that could change) as Finance Director Muriel Dulaney reported should be just ahead of when the first round of the local Tax Digest arrives to provide an opportunity to determine what the revenues will look like for the year. That also coincides with new tax assessments on property around the county, which have not yet been finalized. Those who got their assessments in the mail are already seeking to have them lowered through appeals to the Board of Equalization.

Those can be completed and submitted until July 6. More information on that process will be forthcoming.

Alongside tax discussions, Commissioners also had a number of items to discuss that impacts the FY 2020 budget, and the one coming up. Among those are requests for raises for employees from several offices, some of which do not follow the pay scale that was debated and put in place in 2019 to increase overall base pay throughout the local government’s departments.

The two hour meeting also featured a discussion on what to do about insurance coverage.

The cost of liability insurance – which covers everything from the fleet of vehicles and buildings the county owns to the liability coverage for local elected officials – continues on a trend upward, and over the past two years has jumped more than $70,000. The current policy also covers the county should they suffer a cyberattack. Dulaney told the finance committee – made up of Scotty Tillery, Ray Carter and Hal Floyd – that it would be better for the county’s bottom line to consider bidding out insurance starting in January 2021, when the FY 2022 budget cycle begins anew.

One item before Commissioners that will face a July decision is whether to spend just over $15,000 for a new motor for a Public Works truck. The county’s boom truck, which moves everything from brush and tree debris to large items from convenience centers has been down for a while, and Public Works Director Michael Gravett requested the spending to get it back online.

Commissioners agreed it was smarter to spend money on a new motor and receive a warranty on the item instead of spending on a repairs that would cost just over $12,000 to complete.