Platte County Commissioners approved the 2025 county budget yesterday, utilizing a new financial system.
Commissioners met Tuesday, Jan. 21 due to the Monday Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to hold a public hearing and to approve the budget. Auditor Kevin Robinson gave a presentation on last minute changes to the budget, as well as the new financial system, dubbed EERP. Two versions of the budget were presented this year, in the older format and the new, to promote more understanding of the changeover process.
“EERP contains minor updates to account names and numbers,” the budget document states. “The modifications provide greater query search features and flexibility to how funds are managed. As the system is fully implemented, more will be shared about the system and the resources available to the officeholders, department heads and to the citizens of Platte County.”
The auditor’s recommended budget included an estimate of about $21 million in sales and use tax collections, and commissioners agreed with this assessment, which includes about 2 percent in increases over 2024.
The auditor’s proposed salary increases were also adopted by the commission, at 2.5 percent, with some exceptions. The Sheriff’s Office received 6 percent for commissioned officers, 10 percent for dispatchers, 2.5 percent for clerks and 4 percent for command staff.
The commission proposed budget includes the auditor’s recommended $600,000 transfer to the radio communications fund, bringing the fund balance to $1.2 million. The reserve funding is for radio upgrades and system enhancements scheduled for 2026. The 2026 proposed budget will include another $600,000 to fund the anticipated expense of $1.8 million.
Also at the meeting, numerous appointments to boards were approved. Two appointments to the Senior Services Fund added at the last minute were the cause of a disagreement among the commissioners. District Commissioner Joe Vanover stating it was a violation of the Missouri Sunshine Law to add the appointments to the agenda without proper public notice. Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker said the need to appoint the board members came up over the weekend and there was no time to provide public notice. Vanover pointed out that the chair of that board was Fricker’s wife, Kelly, and that she did not provide a compelling reason to approve the appointments in a rush. On a 2-1 vote, Terry Lenkey and Marte Zirschky were re-appointed to the board.
Approved appointments include Michael Sinkhorn to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Pettis township; Troy Kerns to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Carroll township; Jade Rodell-Tipton to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Sioux township; Lee Ann Fadler to the Board of Equalization; Sandra Thomas to the Domestic Violence Board; Aaron Jung to the Library Board; Susan Finn to the Board of Services; and Michael Claxton and Adam Zink to the Parks Board.