Knox County Council discusses finances, transparency and CASA

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The Knox County Council was presented last night with a comprehensive plan of the county’s finances.

The plan was prepared by Umbaugh and Associates. Spokeswoman Paige Sansone said it provides the council with a snapshot of the county’s finances and enables them to plan ahead for future needs.

Sansone says one of the biggest challenges facing county government is the property tax caps enacted by the Indiana General Assembly.

Since the caps took effect, Sansone say counties and cities across Indiana are taking in less tax revenue. She noted in 2016 Knox County will have lost 760-thousand dollars in revenue as a result of the tax caps. At the same time the cost of running county government is getting any cheaper.

Sansone says the General Fund will be the hardest hit because it provides the majority of funding to operate county government.

In order to maintain a balanced budget she is recommending using other funding sources such as COIT and CEDIT to help ease the burden on the general fund. .

Another recommendation would be implementing a cumulative capital development fund. The tax rate for the special fund would be outside the current property tax levy and could provide an additional 600-thousand dollars new revenue.

 


 

TRANSPARENCY

Knox County Taxpayers can now find out how their tax dollars are being spent. The county council last night unveiled a new online Transparency Portal that Knox County residents can access by going online to  http://portal.knoxcounty.in.gov./

Council President Bob Lechner says taxpayers will be able to look at the county;s current budget and how the money is being spent. The website also provides financial information on each department and breakdown of where the money is going.

Lechner says the website was designed to make it accessible to the typical taxpayer. He says council members would welcome feedback from the public and any recommendations they may have for improving the system moving forward.

In the future, they hope to items including agendas and meeting times for various governmental bodies including county council, commissioners and various county boards.


 

KCC CASA

CASA Volunteers spoke in one voice last night as they told members of the Knox County Council that they are for the Child.

The volunteers are court appointed advocates who represent children who’ve been abused or neglected. CASA Coordinator Holly Hillenbrand says the volunteers are not only there to represent the child’s best interests, but to be their friend during a most stressful time in their life.

Hillenbrand says CASA Volunteers provide the court with valuable information that can determine whether a child ends up in foster care or eventually re-united with their family. The volunteers shared with Council members some very emotional stories of children being scared and uncertain of what’s going to happen to them.

The County Council provides funding for the CASA program. However, Bob Lechner says the council may look at additional funding sources to help support CASA and its mission.

At this time there are currently 84 CASA volunteers in Knox County, but more are needed. To learn more about CASA or consider volunteering you can call Dena Held at 812-886-4470.