Immediate Release
November 21, 2011
Batavia, Ohio. The Board of Clermont County Commissioners (BCC) has approved a 2012 operating budget of $51 million. “We are drawing down around $2 million from reserve funds to balance the budget,” said BCC President Ed Humphrey. “We are hopeful that the sales tax and other revenues will help us rebuild our reserves as the economy rebounds.” The budget includes a general three-percent pay increase in salary appropriations. “It has been three years since most of the hard working employees in the county have had a pay increase,” said BCC Vice President Bob Proud. Commissioners Humphrey, Proud, and Archie Wilson thanked elected officials and department heads for continuing to tighten budgets, while still providing quality services to citizens.
The 2012 operating budget includes $19.3 million for criminal justice, including the Sheriff’s Office, jail, juvenile detention, and probation department operations. General government will receive $12.4 million to operate most BCC offices, Auditor, Recorder, and Treasurer’s offices and the Board of Elections. The Clermont judicial system will receive $11.2 million to operate Common Pleas, Municipal, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, and Probate Courts, in addition to the Public Defender and the Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Division. Public safety will receive $3.7 million to operate the 9-1-1 call center, fire and police communications; health and human services will receive $3 million to fund services provided by the Department of Job and Family Services and Veterans’ Services. The 2012 General Fund operating appropriation will require utilization of $2.8 million of one- time money and $2 million of General Fund reserves.
The 2012 appropriations include a general two percent increase in operating costs; the county opted to cover all health care cost increases. The budget also designates $201,000 to OSU-Clermont Extension, $137,000 to the Soil and Water Conservation District, and $106,000 to the Emergency Management Agency. For more information about the Board of Clermont County Commissioners and their upcoming sessions, visit the website www.bcc.ClermontCountyOhio.gov.
Pictured above: Clermont County Commissioners Archie Wilson, Ed Humphrey, and Bob Proud
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For additional information about this or other county news, contact Clermont County Communications Director Kathy Lehr at (513) 732-7597 or by e-mail, klehr@ clermontcountyohio.gov.