County adopts final budget for fiscal year 2017

ALAMOGORDO – Otero County Commissioners approved their final budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year that began July 1, 2016 in a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

Otero County Finance Administrator Tim Mills provided a recap of the final budget with Commissioners and explained certain increases and drops in funding. Mills has been conducting budget hearings since the beginning of the year.

He said the county’s general fund is operating at a surplus with a beginning cash balance of $5.2 million and is scheduled to end the year with $5.5 million.

“The general fund is operating at a surplus. Our beginning cash balance is $5.2 million with all of our revenues, transfers and expenses and we are scheduled to end the year with $5.5 million. That’s a positive in my book,” Mills said. “I’m looking at past recaps and I’ve seen we’ve usually been dipping in the cash balances in the general fund.”

According to Mills, the final budget comes to a total of $46.4 million, the beginning cash balance was $52.6 million. Mills explained the $6 million drop and where the funds went.

“I could explain that the number really isn’t as bad as it seems, $3.2 million of that decrease is in the fire funds. It is also in our fire gross receipt tax and state fire protection funds which went up $3.2 million,” he said. “When firefighters do not spend all their money for the year we roll that money in subsequent years. For example, Alamo West – the revenues they’re receiving is $110,000 but we’re budgeting $176,000 in expenses and that’s because they didn’t spend all their money in previous years, that money is available for them to spend.”

Another item Mills went over was the Hold Harmless revenue bonds which was at $73,221.97.

“The reason for the drop there is that we had the funds when we sold the $5 million bonds, that cash has been sitting there and we’ve been slowly working that off,” Mills said. “There is still $2.6 million in projects that we’re still spending, it’s drawing that cash down into the budget.”

The road fund ended with an estimated fund cash of $583,752.74, the Narcotics Enforcement Unit ended with $62,061.78, the Otero County Prison Facility had a total of $18,399,166.62 and the Solid Waste Department with a total of $55,058.07.

County staff will be submitting their final budget to the state Department of Finance Administration.

For a copy of the final budget contact the Otero County Administration building,1101 New York Ave., at 437-7427.