Local News
Commissioners looking to save money
Holstein says hard decisions will have to be made, preliminary revenue estimates don’t match projected expenses
The Henderson County Commissioners will be doing some trimming this month during a series of 2010 budget workshops.
County Judge David Holstein said preliminary revenue estimates don’t match projected expenses and the Commissioners Court needs to make some hard decisions about where the funds will be used. The general fund revenue projection is just over $24,342,012 million, Holstein said. That figure could change when Henderson County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Bill Jackson turns in the final property valuations later this month.
“The revenues for 2010 are going to be less than ‘09 and we’re really going to have to work hard to tighten up the budget,” Holstein said.
With the completion of the jail expansion project, the Sheriff’s office will see the largest increase in expenses. Although the county has contracted to receive $38 per inmate to house the out-of-county prisoners, the added number increases expenses. Right now Commissioners can only guess what the total number of prisoners will be in 2010.
“We are ramping up. We now have about 30 out-of-county inmates in,” Holstein said. “The number is increasing. No one expected that we were going to get 150 inmates the day we opened.”
Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said the jail now has inmates from Smith and Freestone Counties.
“The number changes a little from day to day,” Nutt said.
The county also faces a 7.9 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employees and 7.7 percent for retirees. The increase will be offset somewhat by a $220,258 rebate from the insurer.
The county contracts for health insurance through the Texas Association of Counties Health and Benefits Pool.
Electrical service is another area due to increase. Although across the board consumption is down three percent, but increased fees will drive costs up about 30 percent, Holstein said.
He said the county will meet several times between July 13 and July 17 to complete the major work on the budget.
Department heads will be invited to meet with Commissioners during that time.
- Local News
-
-
Cruising the seas
Ewald and Doris Albers take the Athens Daily Review with them on their cruise to Honduras and Mexico, aboard the Voyager of the Seas.
-
Time to get busy pruning
February is here and it is time to get busy, for fruit growers that is, pruning fruit trees in East Texas.
-
SAR honors a good corporate citizen
Athens Chapter Sons of the American Revolution President Charles Luna, right, presents First State Bank, Athens Vice President Michael Neill with the Community Service Award for funding its Eagle Scout Scholarship, the Jeff Austin, Senior Scholarship.
-
ETMC Auxiliary Report
To those of you who have considered joining our auxiliary but haven’t done it yet, I wish you could have been at the Feb. 3 meeting.
-
ETGS to focus on writing
The East Texas Genealogical Society will hold its regular monthly meeting on Saturday, February 13, at 2 p.m. in the Taylor Auditorium at the Tyler Public Library, 201 S. College, Tyler.
-
Financial gifts for your valentine
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so you’d better get going with the flowers and chocolates for your sweetie.
-
Church News
Church News will run as items are received, based on available space.
-
Community Calendar
Community Calendar runs daily in the Review.
-
Filing opens for municipal and school board elections
The month-long filing opens Monday for municipal and school board elections in Texas.
-
New fire marshal doesn’t come into job cold
The new Henderson County Fire Marshal combed through the ashes left behind by many blazes in his career.
- More Local News Headlines
-
