10-17-13 dodge county budget unveiled

An approximately 101 million dollar budget is being proposed for Dodge County next year.  County Administrator Jim Mielke and County Board Chairman Russ Kottke have presented their proposed 2014 budget.  Mielke says the proposed budget is smaller than this year’s budget.  The proposed tax levy is 32 million, 76 thousand dollars; an increase of exactly 100 thousand dollars from the current levy.  Mielke is proposing to allocate the additional levy dollars towards county human services and health operations.  Mielke says the proposed mill rate would tick up two cents over 2013, to $5.70 per thousand dollars of assessed value. Despite challenges like health insurance rate increases and revenue decreases, Mielke says he’s pleased with the proposed budget.  In September, the County Board adopted a financial plan to use about 4.28 million dollars in county sales and use tax proceeds generated in the coming year, and 1.8 million dollars that has accumulated in the sales tax fund balance, to pay debt service on bond issues and fund capital improvement projects.  The plan also allows the use of undesignated general funds in 2014 in an amount not to exceed 900 thousand dollars.  The County Board will look to adopt the 2014 budget at their meeting November 12^th.