County waiting on the check

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March 6, 2010

Kokomo hasn’t returned COIT funds

By KEN de la BASTIDE The Kokomo Tribune Sat Mar 06, 2010, 10:41 PM EST

Howard County officials are still awaiting a check from the city of Kokomo in the amount of $320,000 for county option income tax funds.

State officials earlier this year said the 2007 local income tax collections exceeded earlier estimates, based on tax returns filed in 2008.

Each taxing unit in Howard County believed it was going to receive additional tax revenues. It was later determined part of those revenues were to be specifically dedicated to the jail and to the youth center, as a result of passage of a new Howard County option income tax in 2007.

Howard County is to receive $578,546 from the special COIT for operating expenses at the jail and Kinsey Youth Center.

As of Friday, the county has received $249,132 of the funding, which includes $188,804 transferred from the county’s general fund.

Taxing units that haven’t reimbursed the county include: Kokomo ($320,069), Ervin Township ($479), Monroe Township ($278), Union Township ($271), Russiaville ($2,123) and the Recycling District ($6,194).

As soon as Howard County Auditor Ann Wells received the news from the State Budget Agency in February, she sent word to the effected local taxing units, asking them to hold off spending any of the money.

The announcement came just after state officials told the county to cut a total of $464,000 from the jail and youth center budgets.

Laurie Martin, chief deputy in the Howard County Auditor’s office, said the $578,546 in COIT funds will be placed in the operating balance for the jail and youth center.

She said that will increase the operating balance to approximately $4 million.

“We’re going to do an additional appropriation of $500,000 from the operating balance to cover the $464,000,” she said. “It will keep the operating balance at $3.4 million.”

The cut in spending was requested by the state because the county advertised the budget for jail and youth center at $6.5 million. Martin said the state limited the county to the amount advertised last fall.

• Ken de la Bastide is the Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor. He can be reached at 765-454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com

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