The Polk County Commissioners met on Tuesday at the Polk County Government Center and received the final financial report from the 2023 fiscal year.
Polk County Finance Director Ron Denison presented the report to the commissioners, which included all of the significant budgeted items for 2023. The total expenditures for Polk County in 2023 were in the amount of $82,152,742, and the total revenue came in the amount of $81,649,982, causing a deficit of approximately $500,000.
Significant expenditures went to the general fund, Polk County Highway Department, and the Social Services Fund. The county gained large sums of revenue from tax dollars, federal and state aid, Public Safety, and Environmental Services.
The commissioners were also informed that the county has nearly 11 million dollars left through unreserved earnings on investments and American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding. “This money can be used for whatever the commissioners want to spend it on,” said Denison, “The exception being there is a significant amount of that money is ARPA funds, and also the capital improvement bonds, which do have specific requirements on how they are spent.” The ARPA funding left (as of December 31, 2023) was $2.4 million, to which Polk County has committed $500,000 for the West Polk Water and Conservation District to construct an additional water main.
Denison gave his thoughts to the commissioners regarding the financial report and believed the county was in a good spot fiscally. “We did well under budget, and that’s always a good thing,” said Denison, “I think we did well; this means our funds are in good shape, and we budgeted well within our means.”
This presentation was strictly informational, and the commissioners did not take action on this item. To view the full financial report packet, click here.
The consent agenda included the approval of minutes from the April 16 meeting. It also included approving bills and disbursements in the amount of $430 for office area thermostats for the Polk County Facilities Department. The Polk County Commissioners will meet again on Tuesday, May 7, at 8:00 a.m. at the Polk County Government Center.
