By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Lee Sawyer says the county financial status is strong going into a new budget year.
The County Commission is working through the budget process, set to be concluded by the end of January.
Sawyer says strong tax revenue and conservative spending have led to a strong bottom line.
“Quite honestly, the county’s in really good position. We’ve got a good amount of money that we’ve been able to keep our powder dry in case we had some needs that we weren’t expecting and those kinds of thing,” Sawyer tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “We’re really in a very strong financial position, which I’m super proud of that.”
Sawyer says a little bit a luck and a lot of planning have helped the county end the year strong.
“We’ve been fortunate in some cases and we’ve made some really good decisions in other cases,” Sawyer says. “And so, I think it’s a combination of probably, like I said, a little bit of luck and, I think, a series of good decisions that we’ve made that have really put us in a good financial position going into 2023.”
Sawyer says the county budget has been affected by inflation. The county has had to cope with higher prices, but also has benefited from increased sales tax revenue.
Sawyer is wrapping up his tenure as Presiding Commissioner with Scott Nelson set to take over.
Buchanan County has about $49 million annually in discretionary income.