–The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors formally approved the county’s budget for the coming fiscal year during their meeting Tuesday morning, after a couple of months of, at times, contentious debate. Despite recent revelations the budget contains a nearly $200,000 cut for the county’s libraries, the board approved it by a vote of 4-1. The board has stated on more than one occasion that the budget process was complicated this year by the passage of Iowa House File 718.
County Engineer Doug Miller addressed the crowd after the board was asked why the projected ending fund balance for the Secondary Road Department is only $155,000.
The budget includes nearly $1 Million dollars in cuts approved in the last few weeks. With the tight budget conditions, county employees will not see a cost-of-living wage increase and will now be required to pay a portion of their health insurance if they take the family plan. Chairman Kyle Stecker voted against the budget, as he has stated his feelings that deeper budget cuts are needed. A complete look at the budget can be found on the Auditor’s page at www.kossuthcounty.iowa.gov.
