St. Clair County to operate on reduced budget in 2021 due to COVID-19 impact
St. Clair County will operate on a smaller budget in 2021, after the county board approved $36.7 million in general fund budget appropriations Monday night.
County Board Chairman Mark Kern said the coming year’s budget was planned around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the county’s revenue. At a meeting of the board earlier in the year, Kern said the coming year would be difficult budget-wise due to the virus’s effect on tax revenue at both the county and state levels.
The county expects to spend roughly $36.7 million in general fund expenses in 2021, which is about 4.66% less than 2020’s projection of $38.4 million. The general fund pays for the county’s day-to-day operations.
Kern said all of the county’s departments experienced cuts in 2020 due to the pandemic. He said going into 2021 the county will continue to look for expense savings, including not filling some open jobs.
“It is a balanced budget this year, again,” he said. “We cut expenses given the environment we’re in.”
The budget was passed by the county board 24-3, with board members Ed Cockrell, Dean Pruett and Kevin Dawson voting no.
According to the budget, nearly every county department will see a a funding cut in 2021 except for the emergency management agency, the intergovernmental grants department, the health department and the coroner’s office. The EMA office saw its budget of $835,00 remain the same as it was in 2020, while the coroner’s budget increased 9.99% to $708,986.
Kern said the rise in the coroner’s budget was due to a significant increase in demand for autopsies. He added that the increased demand was not due to COVID-19.
The county’s highway fund will receive more funding this coming year thanks to the Rebuild Illinois capital program and the motor fuel tax that funds it. Additionally, the health department and intergovernmental grants department is receiving additional grant funding due to COVID-19.
You can see how much county employees are paid at https://www.bnd.com/publicpay
COVID-19 has played a large part in the shrinking revenue for the county. Large contributors to the county’s tax collections, like bars and restaurants, have been forced to shut down or reduce their operations since the pandemic began.
In nearby Madison County, the county’s budget also shrunk due to COVID-19’s effect on the economy.
It’s currently estimated that St. Clair County will receive a total of $35,848,594 in revenue toward the general fund in 2021, down from 2020’s estimated $37,877,705. That includes an estimated $9.5 million in property taxes; $10.2 million in sales taxes; $4 million in state income taxes; $11.4 million in licensing, fines, fees and permits; $329,364 from state and federal agencies and $322,780 from other sources.
The county set its tax levy for 2021 in September at $78.7 million, a roughly 4% increase from 2020’s levy of $75 million. That amount often is abated as actual property assessments are completed, however.
County governments set property tax levies based on the maximum amount of revenue they need to cover their budgets for the coming year. But because the actual value of the property being taxed won’t be known until the spring when assessments are completed, they have to estimate the tax rate to complete their budgets.
According to the St. Clair County treasurer’s office, the property tax cycle is a two-year cycle. Over the first year, the property is assigned a value reflecting its value as of Jan. 1. The tax bills are then calculated, mailed and payments are distributed in the following year.
Evaluation and collecting property taxes is a six-step process, starting with assessment and ending with collection. This year that process was extended by the county due to the rise in unemployment due to COVID-19.