Out of a budget of $44.9 million, $6.3 million has been designated for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, drug control, the jail and jail canteen. That amount is $79,015 more than the entire local option sales tax revenue estimated for the year for the county.
The sheriff’s budget is topped by the department of social services at $8.9 million and public schools at $7.7 million. However, those two departments are largely funded by state funds and grants.
The sheriff’s office will cost $4.4 million; drug control, $100,000; jail canteen, $65,000; and the jail, $1.7 million.
Some of that expense has increased in the new budget in anticipation of added costs in providing security for the new Richmond County Judicial Center to open next year.
Other big budget items include:
n Debt service, $3.2 million.
n Richmond County Airport, $1.9 million (90 percent comes from federal funds)
n Richmond Community College, $1,419,000
It will cost an estimated $946,852 to maintain county buildings.
Revenue
On the revenue side of the budget, real property taxes are estimated to be $20.3 million. Bills will be mailed the end of July.
Vehicle taxes, which vary during the year as to when billed, amount to $1.8 million.
Local option sales tax: $6. 2million.
Miscellaneous: $11.2 million, which would include state and federal funds.
Listed in the revenue will be $1.1 million that the county tax office hopes to collect from prior year taxes and penalties.
Sales, services, permits and fees are expected to raise $1.2 million worth of revenue.
Other sources of income are:
n Interest on investments, $37,224
n Other taxes and licenses, $355,532
n Appropriated designated fund balance, $291,793.
Because the usual revenue streams will fall short of paying all the anticipated bills for the county this fiscal year, the county is taking $2.2 million from its savings account to balance the budget.
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Other items separate from the General Fund Budget are:
n Revolving Loan Fund: $2 million.
n Rockingham Fire Department Fire District Fund: $35,000
n East Rockingham Fire District Fund: $139,607 (tax rate of 10 cents per $100 valuation)
n Cordova Fire District Fund: $143,500 (tax rate of 10 cents per $100 valuation)
n Northside Fire Districts 1 and 2: $273,300 (tax rate of 9 cents per $100 valuation)
n Mt. Creek Fire District: $44,000 (tax rate of 10 cents per $100 valuation)
n Hamlet Fire District: $125,000
n Ellerbe Fire District: $40,000
n Revaluation Reserve: $178,672
n Economic Development Reserve: $25,000
n Water and Sewer Fund: $4,462,492
n Solid Waste Enterprise Fund: $3.6 million
n Emergency Telephone System: $378,381 (75 cents per phone monthly)
The tax rate in Richmond County is 81 cents per $100 of valuation of property applied to real and personal property.
Taxes are to be levied on property valued at $2,579,126,715. The collection rate based on the last fiscal year is 97.25 percent.
Taxes are to be levied on vehicles valued at $279.8 million. The collection rate based on the last fiscal year is 82.87 percent.
n Contact reporter Tom MacCallum at 997-3111, ext. 15; e-mail tmaccallum@yourdailyjournal.com.
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