The financial report at the Liberty County Commission meeting Thursday revealed a continuing troublesome trend: the latest special purpose local option sales tax income has not reached projected levels.
County finance chief Kim McGlothlin told the commissioners SPLOST has yet to make what it was expected to make since collections resumed in 2017.
“I remind you that we need $750,000 each month to meet the estimates for SPLOST. We haven’t hit that yet,” she said.
McGlothlin said $4.38 million had been received from the sales tax and that the money went first to retire the debt on the justice center and the rest was passed along to municipalities or used to begin projects like roads.
Some engineer fees for planned road work had been paid, she said.
The county has a reserve sufficient to operate for two months, McGlothlin said. Of the projected revenue for the current fiscal year, she said 19 percent had been collected.
Also on the financial front, McGlothlin explained that the county’s annual audit is being delayed while she awaits information from an actuarial firm the county had used. The commission chose a new firm for the current year but still needs data from the former company to complete the audit for last year.
“We are now officially delinquent,” McGlothlin told the commissioners, referring to the Georgia law that requires cities and counties to send copies of their annual audits to the Department of Community Affairs.
Short term delinquencies like the county’s seem unlikely to have any substantive effect. Grants can be withheld from delinquent jurisdictions, but enforcement of this provision is not very effective.
In other business, the commissioners named Linda Martin to chair the board of election and registration. She is an experienced board member and her attendance record is good. The post has been vacant since Steve Mullice passed away last year.
The commission has prepared a proclamation honoring former Flemington Mayor Sandra Martin and is waiting for the chance to present it to her. Martin retired last year.
The commission’s annual planning session is Feb. 28 starting at 8:30 a.m. at Midcoast Regional Airport at Wright Army Airfield.