911 boosted by new ‘throw away’ cell phone tax
LOUISA, Ky. — After at least three months of hand wringing and worry, the Lawrence Co. Fiscal Court is climbing out of a near half million dollar budget deficit according to spokesperson Michelle Miller, long time office manager in the judge/executive’s office.
County treasurer Sabrina Cantrell informed the court in October that the 911 service as well as the county jail budget were both behind over $200,000 at that stage of the budget cycle because of a sharp decrease in the unmined minerals tax which most mountain counties had been using to offset payroll and other expenses for several years.
As a result, Miller said, the county laid off three road department workers as well as assistant Treasurer Sue Maynard, all of which are still laid off.
But although the jail fund is still over budget, the 911 fund got an unexpected boost from a new state law that requires a 911 tax on throwaway cell phones. “That really helped us out,” Miller said. “After we did a fact check on turning the 911 over to the KSP to operate, we found that it would cost as much or more for them to do it than it is now, and we would have lost eight Lawrence Co. jobs.”
The jail budget is still swinging in the breeze as are jails all over the state, she said.
“Many of the county reps across the state told me at a recent conference I attended that they were having problems meeting their jail expenses, too,” Miller added.
She said the county will have to do like neighboring Martin County and pay the jail money when they can. Martin County just paid part of their debt owed to the BSRDC but is still far behind in its payments.
Lawrence Judge/Executive John Osborne sent the following chart which shows how taxpayer money has been spent in the 2016 budget cycle.
