The Shawano County Administrative Committee is looking at eliminating a requirement that at least $500,000 in sales tax funds be held in reserve for capital improvement projects.
The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to send the resolution, which was last revised in 2009, to the Finance Committee next week to see if the caveat can be removed.
Supervisor Deb Noffke said it made no sense to discuss borrowing for projects, including the proposed evidence storage facility, when that $500,000 should be available.
According to Finance Director Diane Rusch, the county receives more than $2 million annually from the 0.5 percent sales tax it assesses. That figure has remained constant for years, even with the economic downturn, she said.
The sales tax was put into place as a source of property tax relief in 1989.
The latest draft for the proposed 2014 capital improvement projects has the county budgeting $206,500 for four projects, all around the courthouse. The money is earmarked for resurfacing the customer parking lot, resurfacing the employee parking lot, remodeling the north entrance to the courthouse, and replacing the roof in the main tunnel beneath the courthouse.
With the Finance Committee having already reduced the total capital projects budget from $1.3 million to $748,900, according to Supervisor Jerry Erdmann, it has become clear the county needs every penny it can drum up.
Supervisor Kathy Luebke suggested taking the $500,000 now and paying it back over time, just as the county would if it borrowed from an outside source such as the State Trust Fund.
Noffke said the $500,000 should go toward a project of high importance.
“If it’s not worth depleting this fund for, then it’s certainly not worth borrowing,” Noffke said.
Any change to the resolution would require County Board approval.
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