Proposed budget for 2020 released

The commission-recommended 2020 county budget was released Friday, Dec. 27 with few changes made from the auditor’s recommended budget.

A public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 at the Platte County Commission’s regular administrative session.

The November proposed budget included a two percent wage increase for all county employees and a 3.5 percent increase for all sheriff’s office employees. The commissions retained the two percent increase for county workers and reduced the raise to three percent for the sheriff’s office.

The commissioners also nixed the auditor’s recommendation for the addition of an assistant prosecuting attorney and two deputies to reinstate the secured entrance at the county administration center.

Commissioners also beefed up the county’s legal fund, allocating $350,000 to cover the appeal hearings regarding the Zona Rosa bond obligations. Auditor Kevin Robinson had recommended $100,000 for the legal fund.

Robinson also recommended the county set aside the full principal and interest payments for the Zona Rosa Bonds, but commissioners did not include this item in its proposed budget.

The auditor’s recommended budget included an estimation of approximately 2.64 percent lower general fund sales and use tax than was forecast for 2019. The commission’s proposed budget slightly adjusts it to 2.56 percent less.

The budget is available for review on the county website at co.platte.mo.us.