As area cities and counties work through the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), they are hearing from departments about the previous year’s budget numbers as well. COVID-19 has impacted everyone, but one Carroll County department has seen the negative impact to a greater degree than many others. County Attorney, John Werden, says income for misc. fees for FY20 was $60,502 and year to date for FY21 it is $12,815.
He says, according to the legislature’s analysis, it should be the same as previously, but he would be surprised if it was revenue neutral. Werden says forfeitures and collections have all but disappeared over the past year as well, due to a change in forfeiture law and as a side effect of COVID-19. The drop in income is somewhat offset by other impacts of the pandemic as well.
And although there was next to nothing spent on ongoing education in the past year, Werden is expecting those expenses will resume to more normal levels in the coming months. A sticking point with Werden is an item in the collection fund for a bonus to counties that exceed a goal in court collections. The new state law eliminates the bonus, and he has a problem with how that was enacted.
That money is now retained by the state and the impact is more far reaching than just the County Attorney’s Office.
They are then saddled with the costs of filing that suit and he predicts there will be losses in revenues in that department as well. Werden adds he feels like county attorneys were not heard when that budget bill was passed. The Carroll County Board of Supervisors continue their budget review. The finalized budget will be due to the Iowa Department of Management by Wednesday, March 31.
