Lincoln County’s proposed budget for the new fiscal year includes no additional funds for departments and no pay raises. The county expects to bring in approximately $295,000, or 1.6 percent, less in total revenues than the current fiscal year.

In creating the proposed county budget, Lincoln County Administrator David Fields said his recommendation to the Board of Supervisors was to keep the same budget as the last fiscal year, except for $2.7 million in planned projects. The county has budgeted $19.5 million in expenditures, including $2.5 million for the new ballpark, with $17.8 million in revenue.

The county expects to bring in approximately $450,000 less in tax revenue, a 3.77 percent change from last year. It also expects to bring in $155,000 in additional revenues, so the county is looking at approximately $295,000 total less revenue than the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

“I’m budgeting for 300,000 less revenue than what we had last year, that’s about 1.6 percent less,” Fields said. “So in the grand scheme of thing it’s not a big deal, and probably our other revenues will be a little bit higher next year so we may be good shape. The key will be watching our spending, and our departments do a good job holding their expenditures within their budget.”

No department, such as the courts, clerks or the sheriff’s department, will receive more than the amount they were given last year by the county. There are also no pay raises in the proposed budget.

The $450,000 change in the tax levy was due to an error in the Tax Assessor/Collector’s Office that overestimated what the county would bring in. Earlier in August, Fields said the miscalculation resulted in total assessed property values being listed as several million dollars too high. The board set the current millage rate too low based on the incorrect assessed values, resulting in a loss of tax revenue to the county.

Fields said generally each year the county collects more taxes than it levied for, and that at the end of the fiscal year there are generally some unexpected revenues — reflected by the $155,000 in other county revenues in this year’s proposed budget. In August, Fields said the lost tax revenue could be offset by these or other revenues and result in a balanced budget — albeit one that could have seen more in tax revenue if the miscalculation had not been made. The budget reflects having $300,000 less than budgeted last year because of the error.

Earlier in August Fields said the Board of Supervisors could either cut the budget in some areas to offset the loss or raise taxes. According to county officials, neither have been done.

Taxes will not increase this year as the millage rate will remain the same as last year at 52.64. The Lincoln County School District tax rate has decreased 1.8 mils from last year, so those outside the city school district will see a tax decrease.

There is a $2.7 million increase in county expenditures for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, most of which reflects the $2.5 million baseball park, the funds for which the county already has. Other expenditures, Fields said, the county was already committed to, such as $80,000 towards the new building at Linbrook Business Park.

The budget will be presented to the Board of Supervisors and they will put it to a vote Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. with the county docket meeting to follow.