Webster County staff present non-departmental budget updates, flagging rising debt service and revenue shifts

County staff presented a line-by-line review of non-departmental revenues and expenses during the Webster County budget workshop.

Staff said some rent and lease revenue lines (including LAC and workforce rent) were increased based on prior-year expenses and the city of Fort Dodge’s share. They reported net property tax projections rising from $4,629,359 to $5,344,779.98 for the coming year and noted changes to mobile home taxes, homestead and elderly/disabled credits, ag land credits, and business property tax replacement entries.

On the expense side, staff identified several notable changes: billing-improvement spending was increased from $350,000 to $1,000,000 in the draft budget, and certain general-supplemental transfers changed. Most prominently, staff flagged a jump in debt-service payments in the general supplemental fund from about $45,002 last year to $749,004.25 this year and attributed the increase to an upcoming Fort Dodge city bond principal-and-interest payment.

Staff also discussed Webster County regional urban renewal (TIF) revenues and expenditures that will be used for quality-of-life projects, and described the EMS revenue calculation method: Department of Management taxable valuations multiplied by 75¢ per $1,000, then budgeted at 95%, producing an EMS projection close to $1.58–1.6 million.

Presenters told the board that some line names in the system had not been updated and that certain intergovernmental payments to cities appeared in the draft budget at different levels than recent practice; staff said they could restore prior amounts if the board preferred. No final budget vote occurred during the workshop.

Next steps: staff will refine line-item entries, reconcile unexplained budget amounts and continue the budget review process before formal adoption.