MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Commission finalized its budget carryover on Wednesday, adding $1,317,356 to $8 million in anticipated rollover, for a total of $9,317,356.
The commissioners were quick to explain that the $8 million originally anticipated as carryover is not extra cash, but funds that, for whatever reason, were not spent in the previous fiscal year.
“We have $1.317 million in additional carryover. We projected $8 million, which means that’s already been encumbered — that money is already earmarked,” Commission President Tom Bloom said. “There always seems to be confusion when others see that and say it’s $9.3 million. That’s not correct, but that’s what happens. Certain people say, ‘Well, you had this huge carryover.’ No, we didn’t.”
Commissioner Sean Sikora explained further.
“When you look at last year’s budget, we didn’t spend $7,447,684 in expenses that were planned. A lot of those were assumed, and that also includes contingency,” Sikora said. “So those are dollars that … for the most part, weren’t expected to be expended this year.”
He said an example would be funds placed in accounts like capital outlay.
“So that’s where we’re putting money into our infrastructure, but it didn’t happen in this year,” Sikora said. “That’s not anything additional. It’s just rolling over to the next year.”
The majority of the roughly $1.3 million in additional revenue will be distributed as follows:
$569,732 to employee salaries and benefits
$253,921 to financial stabilization
$250,000 to regional jail fees
$131,103 to additional staffing contingencies in the county’s planning office
The county is placing funds in financial stabilization because its contingency budget is already maxed out at $3,709,997.90, or 10 percent of the county’s general fund.
In other county news, the commission held a public hearing and ultimately approved a zoning change from R-1 (low density residential) to R-4 (high density residential) for two parcels in the West Run Planning District.
According to County Planning Director Andrew Gast-Bray, the parcels are at the corner of Chestnut Ridge Road and Northwestern Avenue.
Tim Lewis, a local contractor, said a building with 36, 1,000 square-foot, one-bedroom units is planned for the site.
“They’re going to be real nice units with nice curb appeal,” Lewis said. “We’d like to cater more to the resident doctors and pre-med doctors due to the location.”
Also on Wednesday, Sheriff Perry Palmer and Chief Tax Deputy Kelly Palmer presented the fiscal year 2018-’19 sheriff’s settlement, which is the final settlement of all the county’s tax accounts, as required by the state.
Perry Palmer said the county tax office collected and distributed more than $106 million in the previous fiscal year.
“Like he said, ‘and distributed,’ ” Kelly Palmer added. “The county did not get $106 million. That was on behalf of the board of education, all the municipalities, the TIFs and the excess levies.”
She explained that once fees for services and other funds that are not considered taxes were added in, the number jumped to $131 million.
Lastly, the commission approved attorneys Matthew Gutta, Ryan Umina and Beth Lebow to join George Armistead in serving as fiduciary commissioners for the county.
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