FARMINGTON — Franklin County’s auditor, Ron Smith, told commissioners the county is “financially rock solid” as of June 30.

Smith, of RHR Smith & Co., gave an overview of the audit performed for July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015, during Monday’s commission meeting.

The county has $2 million in its general operating fund, of which about $1.9 million is undesignated, Smith said.

“The county is very solvent, stable and sound as of June 30, 2015,” he said.

The undesignated funds in the jail budget at the end of the fiscal year was $188,000, given that the jail has been taken back by the county and returned to full operations. Early in 2015, the jail had about $500,000 in undesignated funds. Some of the money was put into reserve accounts for projects, including the replacement of the jail roof.

Commissioners also had to transfer $100,000 from the jail’s undesignated fund in May to the jail operating budget to cover expenses through June 30.

It was anticipated that the jail budget would be short because of startup costs to return the jail to full-service operations in mid-April from being a 72-hour holding facility. The state consolidated county jails under one system on July 1, 2009. 

Franklin County was capped by the state at raising about $1.62 million in taxpayer money to run the jail in 2008. That cap is still in place even though the state has returned the jails back to the counties to operate.

There are still a lot of things to understand, Smith said. He hopes they will know more after the 2016 legislative session.

It is time for the jail and county budgets to be joined together, he said. Since 2009 the jail and county budgets were separate and had separate audits.

Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay said he has been concerned all along that they are still operating on a budget that was approved prior to the consolidation.

There has to be change, Smith said.

The unorganized territory also has a separate audit. There is about $1 million in the fund balance of which nearly $890,000 is unassigned, he said.

Smith suggested the county encumber some of the money before the state says other unorganized territories in the state could use it more.

“We do have a capital road plan,” McGrane said.

Some of the money could be put into the paving reserve account to help with county road projects, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.

Roads are by far the biggest expense to take care of, Smith said.

Magoon also suggested commissioners replenish the perambulation reserve fund that was depleted on a survey of the East Madrid Road in Madrid Township and related expenses to resolve ownership of a section of the road. There was a $5,829 deficit in the account, Deputy Treasurer/Deputy Clerk Vickie Brailey said.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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