After 2018’s ‘Year of Recovery,’ rebuilding year set for Law. Co.

The Lawrence County Commission presented a proposed budget for 2019 during its budget hearing in the historic courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 17. Around 30 people were on hand to hear the presentation that has been contentious in past iterations.
According to a written narrative of the budget, county employees will receive a two to four-percent raise, as well as two new positions in the sheriff’s department to “make (the county) more competitive in the job market.”
The narrative also stated the prosecuting attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office are also receiving additional funding for staffing needs.
The budget also includes a few other items for the sheriff’s office: $140,000 to replace two patrol cars, $100,000 for software upgrades for the jail, and $67,150 for a new security system in the justice center and the jail. The money for the software upgrades and the new security system will come from the Capital Projects fund.
The proposed 2019 General Revenue fund calls for $3,616,318.94 in expenses. The county departments will receive a total of $1,272,840.72. Public safety, which includes the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, the Juvenile Office, and the County Coroner, will receive a combined $799,804.42. The Emergency Fund will receive about three-percent of revenue, or $125,000. Other expenditures, including the Health Department and the Child Support Enforcement Unit, will receive $1,418,673.80. Revenue for the fund is $3,539,210.
In the Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund (LEST), the Sheriff’s Office will receive $969,687.35, while the jail will receive $1,057,150.52. Fringe benefits, which covers items like insurance, Social Security and Medicare, will receive $357,575. Total expenditures for LEST will be $2,384,412.87. Total revenue for LEST was $2,174,950.
The Judicial Sales Tax Fund has $689,062.93 in expenditures and $396,867 in revenue.
The budget hearing included a question-and-answer session. Lawrence County resident Robert Ballay asked why the county was paying to house prisoners outside of Lawrence County instead of building a jail to house them locally.
Commissioner Tim Selvey said the commission “has worked long and hard on ways to accommodate these prisoners locally, and we’ve still got some things we’re looking at in the near future.”
However, Selvey pointed out Webster County passed a tax about 18 months ago to build a new jail, but the projected cost would be about $20 million for a jail building that could hold up to 150 prisoners.