Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

County, City Budgets Approved

By Ricky Ragsdale

Budgets for the city of Prescott and Nevada County have been approved during December.

Nevada County's county general budgets, approved Monday, December 8, during the regular monthly meeting, show a $40,000 increase over 1997 with the total coming in at $1.18 million.

County Judge James Roy Brown's budget increased about $800 to $36,056.

County Clerk Julie Stockton had a budget increase to $68,344 from $66,000.

Circuit Clerk Carolyn Steed's budgets jumped nearly $3,000 to $69,472.

Treasurer Sydney DuCharme's budget was raised less than $2,000 to $46,260.

Nevada County Sheriff and Collector Steve Otwell's collector's budget increased nearly $4,000 to $68,066.

A decrease of nearly $20,000 lowered Otwell's Sheriff's budget to $224,838.

Tax Assessor Barbara Butler's budget was lowered about $500 down to $78,781.

JPs changed Butler's budgets by removing a part-time deputy clerk's salary and creating a full-time appraiser at nearly the same pay.

Courthouse maintenance budget approved by the group climbed $11,000 to $64,094.

The county jail budget jumped over $10,000 to $222,376.

The county's library budget is $22,649 for 1998.

Judge Brown's solid waste budget will be $381,450 and road and bridge has budgeted $973,213.

Budget committee members recommended no raises for employees during 1998.

In addition, the county did not include the purchase of vehicles for the sheriff's office. In years past the the county has tried to purchase one new or two used police vehicles, budgeting about $20,000.

Budgets for the city of Prescott show several departments losing money as usual, which is made up from revenues in the electrical department.

City officials budgeted $5.26 million in total expenses in the electrical department, but are anticipating $6.62 million in revenue.

The water department has budgeted $381,563 with expected income to produce $390,000.

Income for the sewer department, raised to help pay bond and tax money by the council in 1996, is thought to be $609,000 while expenses are set at $541,448.

Other city budgets are: city shop $68,000; administrative, $907,938; water plant, $54,793; river plant, $93,100; fire department, $99,177; police department, $357,580; cemetery expense, $29,670; and sanitation , $128,560.

Prescott's garbage collection department expects $186,000 in gross income, with $180,380 in expenses.

Street department expenses for 1998 are anticipated to be $259,000 with $258,505 in expenses.

While council members did not approve raises, they budgeted two percent to be used for salary increases during the year. The decision for who and when will come by way of committee.

Both groups approved continued funding for the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office and Nevada County Ambulance Service.