Fiscal Court OKs Clerk, Sheriff Budgets For New Year
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com
The Mercer County Fiscal Court held their first meeting of the year on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Most of the meeting was dedicated to presenting the 2021 budgets for the county clerk and sheriff offices.
According to Mercer County Clerk Chris Horn, the 2021 fee budget estimate is $5,648,661, with total estimated disbursements of $5,586,185 and an estimated book balance of $62,476. The disbursements include $4.9 million in required payments—with $1.7 million in usage taxes, $546,548 in licenses and transfers and $835,191 in ad valorem tax distributions paid to the state. The estimated book balance was less last year, Horn said. He said he and his staff are still working on the fourth quarter. The fiscal court approved his budget and approved a maximum salary cap of $339,000 for deputies.
Angie Patton of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office presented the 2020 budget and the estimated budget for 2021.
In 2020, the sheriff’s office estimated a budget of $1.5 million with disbursements of 1.2 million, for a projected balance of $268,363. According to the annual settlement, the balance ended up at $315,646, which Patton and Sheriff Ernie Kelty attributed to CARES Act funding.
“We did a little bit better than we thought we would do,” Sheriff Kelty said.
