Walker County Government took a giant step forward in its obligation to responsibly manage your money. The fiscal 2018 budget is balanced and features some 100 pages of information on where taxpayer funds will be spent.
There are two budgets, one covering the General Fund and one covering Enterprise and Grant Funds. The General Fund outlines operational expenses, while the Enterprise Fund includes items like the Landfill and Mountain Cove Farms.
Sole Commissioner Shannon Whitfield cut nearly $2 million in requested expenses and set aside $4.5 million to service debt, including $2.5 million for Erlanger. The no frills budget does include some funding for capital projects to address roofing and HVAC issues at some county owned properties.
Commissioner Whitfield also approved a resolution to place restrictions on himself and other department heads by enacting a purchase order policy and legal level of budgetary control. Any expense over $15,000 must now be approved by the Commissioner in a public meeting. In addition, department heads must receive consent to transfer funds between personnel, operating and capital budgets, so money originally set aside to repair a building can’t be shifted to hire a new employee without approval.
