County Board Closes Out Fiscal Year

The Effingham County Board closed out its fiscal year Wednesday.

The Board approved amendments to the budget that ends November 30. County Board Chairman Jim Niemann said an increase in the premium for property/casualty and liability was addressed. Niemann also said paying upfront for the Smartwatt energy efficiency system left the current budget in the red, but said that the energy savings to be realized in future years will leave the County money ahead.

The budget for the fiscal year that begins December 1 was approved. The Board held to the status quo on expenditures with the exception of contractually obligated pay increases and the insurance increase.

The tax levy for the new fiscal year was passed including a 4.99% increase in revenues. Niemann said that since the County’s equalized assessed valuation rose enough, the tax rate actually decreased.

The Board will meet in December 7. That’s when newly-elected members Norbert Soltwedel and Elizabeth Huston will be sworn in. They will replace Lloyd Foster and Jeff Simpson, who did not seek re-election.