Hamilton County Council Wraps Discussion Of 2021 Budget

Press release from the Hamilton County Government:

August 11, 2020

(NOBLESVILLE, AUGUST 7, 2020) – Hamilton County Councilors, the financial stewards of Hamilton County government, hosted two days of budget hearings at the Judicial Center on Tuesday, August 4th and Wednesday, August 5th.

“It’s been two days of pretty intense discussions,” Council President Rick McKinney said. “I’m happy to say however that the budget is balanced and there will not be a county tax rate increase. In fact, the rate should decrease 1.2 percent based on a projected five percent increase in county propertyvaluations.”

The proposed 2021 budget, totaling just under $100 million, includes scheduled pay raises for county employees. Elected officials will receive a 1.1% pay bump, but salaries for the county councilors and commissioners will remain flat.

“State Road 37 was a dominate theme as well,” McKinney reported. “We’re looking at anywhere from $21 to $26 million dollars in cost overruns. We need to decide whether to pay for that in cash or whether to bond it.”

The council also addressed growing concern about safety at the Historic Courthouse. They approved the hiring of three additional sheriff’s deputies to supplement security as well as video surveillance cameras. The council will host a public hearing on the budget on Wednesday, October 7th at 7:00 p.m. Adoption of the budget is scheduled to take place Monday, October 19th at 8:30 a.m. Once approved, the budget will be sent to the State of Indiana for approval before going into effect January 1, 2021.

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This press release was produced by the Hamilton County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.